<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>A Witch's Confession by momoxtoshiro</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23935225">A Witch's Confession</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/momoxtoshiro/pseuds/momoxtoshiro'>momoxtoshiro</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Little Witch Academia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Diakko, Dianakko, F/F, another very old fic sajdhklsd moved from ffnet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:49:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,375</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23935225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/momoxtoshiro/pseuds/momoxtoshiro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>[Direct sequel to A Witch's Dilemma]. After Akko and Diana begin to understand each other a little more, Akko longs to pursue a better relationship with Diana. But will Diana want the same? It doesn't seem likely...</p><p>[Moved over from FFnet]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Diana Cavendish &amp; Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Sudden Realization</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>**Moved from FFnet so the notes and such are super outdated ahha</p><p>I'm back with more LWA! I can't even begin to explain how thrilled and excited I am about the new anime! I've waited for 3 years, and now I can finally get back into one of my favorite series!</p><p>This story will likely be one of many future LWA fics from me! It is a direct continuation from my first LWA fic, A Witch's Dilemma. As such, it takes place in between the 2 OVAs.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>All the way back from her little trip to the library, Akko had been replaying the events that had transpired in her mind.</p><p>She couldn't stop feeling giddy - giddier than usual, even for her. Talking to Diana like that, setting things straight, helping her feel better, and even going so far as to call her a friend had left Akko bubbly with excitement all night long. She kept giggling to herself, enough to have Lotte shush her more than once.</p><p>She didn't know why she was quite so happy about what had happened between Diana and herself in the library. But simply remembering the way Diana had smiled and hugged her back made it all worth it, in Akko's mind.</p><p>When she finally calmed down from the restless tossing and turning, she slept soundly for the rest of the night...</p><p>
  <em>Bee-bee-bee-beep! Bee-bee-bee-beep! Bee-bee-bee-beep!</em>
</p><p>"Uuuuhh..."</p><p>"Akko... turn off your alarm... It's too early..."</p><p>Lotte's moan of a voice sounded from above.</p><p>Akko grumbled and whined as she turned over, reaching her hand out from the pile of blankets she'd become overnight. She flailed her hand around on the nightstand, trying to silence the pumpkin-shaped clock to no avail.</p><p>"Akko..." Lotte hissed. "Hurry, before Sucy wakes up... You know she's not a morning person..."</p><p>"I'm tryiiiiiiing..." Akko smacked aside a booklet, then a small flower pot, until at last she hit the alarm. Both girls let out a sigh of relief to discover Sucy was still fast asleep.</p><p>"Thank goodness," Lotte sighed. She sat up and put on her glasses diligently, while Akko flopped back down and prepared to fall back asleep for as long as possible. But her friend wasn't about to let her.</p><p>"So, how did things go with Diana last night? You came back so late Sucy was already in bed and I couldn't ask you. Did you give Diana her notes back?"</p><p>"Uhhh yeah!" Akko nervously buried her face into her pillow. "Everything was fine! Totally fine!"</p><p>"Are you sure? Why were you gone so long if all you were doing was returning her notes? She didn't bully you more, did she?"</p><p>"Huh? N-No, nothing like that! We just had a little... chat, is all."</p><p>"A chat?" Intrigued, Lotte leaned over in an effort to seek out her roommate. "What do you mean? You and Diana actually had a civil conversation together?"</p><p>"W-Well, um-"</p><p>"Ahh, c'mon you guys..." Sucy's grumble of a voice interrupted, just in time, in Akko's case. "Is all this talking really necessary so early in the morning?"</p><p>"Morning, Su," Akko mumbled.</p><p>"Good morning," Lotte joined in. "Sorry we woke you."</p><p>"Mm whatever. You'll both just have to be part of my next experiment to make it up to me."</p><p>"What? Not agaaiin..."</p><p>While Akko's two best friends roused themselves with some playful banter, the brunette kept her face hidden in her blankets. She didn't know why she was getting so flustered while talking and thinking about Diana.</p><p><em>I've gotta make sure to keep her secret, though,</em> she reminded herself. <em>I can't ever tell anyone I saw her crying! Diana'll never forgive me! She'll probably have my head!</em></p><p>"Akko!"</p><p>"W-Whaaa?!" When both her friends called for her, Akko shot up, but ended up smacking her head against the underside of the bunk beds in the process. She collapsed back onto her pillow with a moan. Sucy snickered while Lotte sighed.</p><p>"Not again..."</p><p>From there on, the three roommates tried to have a normal morning and get ready for classes as usual.</p><p>But even with Lotte's estimations of how long it would take them all to change, eat, and get across the school, they still ended up being late for their first lecture of the morning.</p><p>The bell rang just as Lotte and Sucy entered the classroom. But with Akko lagging behind, by the time she got in, she was technically late, and got a brief scolding from the professor.</p><p>But Akko wasn't about to let that get her down today. Not when she had a new friend to help keep her spirits high.</p><p>She straightened up and put a big grin on her face as she scoured the room, her eyes going directly to the more elevated seats near the top of the incline.</p><p>Diana was sitting in her usual spot, prim and proper as ever. She caught Akko's eye briefly with a look of mild interest, but nothing more.</p><p>As Akko went to her own seat, she waved vigorously at her, but Diana paid her no heed.</p><p><em>Well, class has technically already started,</em> Akko shrugged. <em>I guess she doesn't wanna wave back now.</em></p><p>Therefore, she was determined to try again in between classes.</p><p>As soon as their first morning lecture was over and the bell rang, Akko jumped up from her seat as everyone else started packing up their things to leave. She scurried over to Diana in a haste, almost tripping on her robes and losing her hat in the process.</p><p>But she eventually managed to get there in one piece. She put on another wide grin and called out cheerfully to her.</p><p>"Morning, Diana!"</p><p>The white-haired witch tensed at the sound of her voice, then swiftly whipped around to face her.</p><p>"Well, if it isn't Akko."</p><p>Then, like parts of her shadow, Barbara and Hannah popped up from either side of her.</p><p>"Nice of you to like, <em>actually</em> join us this morning."</p><p>"Bet she ran into another trash can!"</p><p>As the two girls started cackling, Diana waved for them to be silent, then turned her attention back to Akko.</p><p>"Let me guess. You slept in again?"</p><p>"Well, uh, actually yeah. A little bit," she admitted. She was in too much of a good mood to realize Diana and the others were trying to taunt her. "I didn't get much sleep last night either. I think it's because I was just thinking about what happened between us at the library-"</p><p>Diana lost her usual, confident smile and immediately lunged forward to cover Akko's mouth.</p><p>"Be quiet, you fool! Or would you prefer to tell the entire school about what happened?" She blinked once, then turned another stern gaze on her. "You <em>haven't</em> told anyone, have you?"</p><p>"N-No! Of course not! I would never reveal my friend's secret like th-"</p><p>"Good. You'd do well not to." Diana released her, then continued packing up her things. Akko readjusted her jaw and decided to loiter a minute longer.</p><p>"So, um... anyway, Diana. Do you think you'd like to-"</p><p>"Are you still here?" she snapped. "Akko, I've got to get to my next class."</p><p>"Oh, ah, r-right. Sorry!"</p><p>Diana brushed past her without a second glance. Barbara and the other one made faces at Akko as they followed. Akko watched Diana go, feeling her shoulders slump just a little bit.</p><p>"Huh..." she mumbled aloud. "I thought that maybe she'd be a little nicer to me after what happened last night..."</p><p>"Whoa, what happened last night?" Sucy appeared seemingly out of nowhere, causing Akko to shriek and fall onto her backside. Lotte was there a second later to help pull her up.</p><p>"Geez, you need to stop reacting so strongly to everything," she sighed.</p><p>"But anyway," Sucy continued. "What happened last night with you and Diana, huh? Anything juicy?"</p><p>"Wh-<em>What?!</em>"</p><p>"Sucy, what does that even mean?"</p><p>As Lotte tried to rationally make sense of every word that came out of her roommate's mouth, Akko was trying to recover from the shock of the suggestion.</p><p>But what took a little longer was recovering from the shock of how Diana had treated her this morning, even after what they'd been through last night. She made sure to considering things in her head this time, not out loud.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe she's feeling weird about it, too? Maybe she's just... not sure of how to deal with it, so she's just trying to be her usual self? O-Or did she not even care about what we said to each other...?</em>
</p><p>That was a little disheartening, to think that Diana didn't take what Akko had told her last night seriously, or that she didn't care at all.</p><p>Akko thought it might've been nice to try and be her friend after everything that had happened. If the incident with the Dragon had proven anything, it was that all witches – Akko and Diana included – worked much better together as friends than separately as competitors. She thought it might've been nice to be amiable with Diana rather than to be constantly at-odds with her.</p><p><em>But... maybe Diana just doesn't care...?</em> She shook her head, trying to give the other witch the benefit of the doubt. <em>Well, I can't give up after only one try, right?</em></p><p>"Ah-kko!"</p><p>"H-Huh?!"</p><p>"We're gonna be late again!"</p><p>"Oh, crap!"</p><p>Hurriedly, the three girls grabbed all of their things and rushed out the door, bound for their next class.</p><p>Akko didn't see Diana in all of her lectures, but she did see her in most of them and at lunch time. She was determined to talk to her again, her line of thinking being that perhaps Diana's mood would change for the better as the day progressed.</p><p>Akko went up to her and tried to say hello as many times as an opportunity presented itself. She always went with a big smile and good intentions.</p><p>But every time, Diana shot her down, either blatantly with words, or nonverbally by brushing her off. And with each rejection or failed attempt, Akko felt more and more dejected.</p><p>By the time the day was over, she limped back to her dorm room with Sucy and Lotte trailing behind, sharing concerned looks all the while. When they got inside, Akko only had the strength to flop onto her bed and deflate. The others entered after her, Lotte clearing her throat as she closed the door.</p><p>"Akko... are you okay? You were spacing out more than usual today."</p><p>"Usually when the professors call on you, you give <em>some</em> kind of answer," Sucy recounted. "But today you just mumbled nonsense."</p><p>"Is it because you hit your head again?" Lotte guessed.</p><p>They both waited for a response. It took her a moment, but Akko only sighed and rolled over.</p><p>"Nah. I think it's Diana..."</p><p>"What? Is she really bullying you again?" Lotte gasped, going on the defensive right away.</p><p>"That's the thing!" Akko groaned. "I don't know! I can't even tell if she's bullying me or..."</p><p>"Or...?" Sucy parroted. "What happened between you two last night anyway, hmmm?" She slinked forward until she was hovering right next to her friend. Akko quickly shooed her away.</p><p>"N-Nothing happened! I-I mean..." She bit her lip. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone."</p><p>"Hmmmmm?" Sucy purred. "You can't just say that and then not tell us what happened."</p><p>"Seriously, Akko!" Lotte cried. "Now we just wanna know!"</p><p>Akko sat up on her bed, only to clutch her hands to her head and contemplate.</p><p>"Uuu, I guess you guys are right. Maybe if I talk about it, you guys can help me with it."</p><p>Lotte and Sucy both took seats on the floor in front of their friend's bed to listen. Akko internally debated with herself for another moment.</p><p>
  <em>I promised Diana I wouldn't tell anyone! But if it's Lotte and Su, maybe they can help... So, sorry, Diana...</em>
</p><p>"Well~?" Sucy prompted, clearly interested now.</p><p>Akko finally decided to go through with it.</p><p>"I... I went into the library last night to return her notes... and I saw Diana... crying..."</p><p>Silence filled the room after that as the girls all took in this new information. While Akko was berating herself for breaking her promise, Lotte and Sucy were trying to imagine Diana Cavendish <em>crying</em>. Obviously, the natural response was disbelief.</p><p>"What?" Lotte squeaked. "Y-You saw her<em> crying?</em>"</p><p>"That's kind of juicy."</p><p>"Stop it, Sucy!" Lotte chided her briefly before turning back to Akko. "Why was Diana crying? Was she okay?"</p><p>"Well... she was feeling guilty about accidentally unlocking the Dragon's seal." Akko didn't have a problem telling them this part, because Lotte and Sucy were some of the only people in the Academy who'd known it was Diana and her friends from the start. Even so, both of them were taken aback by the information.</p><p>"Really?" Lotte asked. "She was worried about that? Even after all that time?"</p><p>"Guilty conscious," Sucy noted. "Must've eaten away at her."</p><p>"It really did," Akko agreed. "Enough to make her cry about it. And I-I dunno, I just... felt so <em>bad</em> for her. She didn't mean it. Anyone could've unsealed that lizard. A-And Diana's such a good student and everything. It was killing her that she'd caused such a ruckus-"</p><p>"And that you were the one to save the day," Lotte guessed.</p><p>Akko nodded.</p><p>"Yeah... S-So I tried to make her feel better, a-and I dunno, I just thought... maybe we could kinda start over and be friends or something. I told you guys before, right? It was more of her personality that I didn't like, not <em>Diana</em> herself. I think I actually... <em>might</em> kinda like her..."</p><p>That had the other two raising eyebrows.</p><p>"Like her?" Lotte repeated. "How do you mean?"</p><p>"Like as a potential acquaintance, or as a potential mate?"</p><p>"Sucy!"</p><p>"M-Mate?" Akko shrieked, her face turning cherry red.</p><p>"What?" Sucy shrugged. "It could happen. Nothing wrong with it. It'd just be a weird choice for you. Considering how mean she's always been to you."</p><p>"W-Well..." Akko covered her face with her hands and tried to calm herself down. "I-I mean... she was only ever mean because I invited her do it. Sometimes I'd fight back, so she'd keep going... I-I guess it's sorta my fault in a way..."</p><p>"Well, and you know what they say," Sucy went on. "People often tease the ones they like, right? So maybe Diana likes you, too."</p><p>"...Huh?" Akko finally peeked through her fingers. "Y-You think she might?"</p><p>"Anything's possible, right?"</p><p>Akko was silent for a moment. The idea that she might <em>like</em> Diana as <em>more</em> than a friend was certainly scary and foreign to her.</p><p>But now that she really thought about it, it kind of made sense in some ways. She did often find herself hanging around Diana even when she didn't consciously intend to. And ever since they'd helped one another out after the Dragon's attack, she'd found she'd been a lot more excited whenever she was around Diana in general.</p><p>Akko had always convinced herself that her heart had only been pounding because she'd nearly fallen to her death, not because she'd been cuddled up against Diana's back for an entire broomstick ride.</p><p>And she'd always zone out in class, but for some reason, she'd always perk up and tune in again whenever she heard Diana speaking.</p><p>Now that she thought about it... as strange as it might've sounded or felt... maybe she really did like Diana to some degree...</p><p>"Akko!"</p><p>Lotte was tired of talking to her friend only to have her space out today. This time, she bonked Akko on the head to get her attention.</p><p>"W-What?! Oh, sorry. Did I do it again?"</p><p>"Mm-hm."</p><p>"Do you think about Diana every time you space out?" Sucy wondered.</p><p>"Uh, sometimes-"</p><p>"You like her."</p><p>"W-What! N-No way! I-I mean... m-maybe...?"</p><p>"Don't try to deny it," Sucy advised. "It'll only make things worse."</p><p>"Waaah... s-so then what should I do?"</p><p>"Well, let's not jump to conclusions," Lotte said. "Let's find out for sure if you really like her first. We don't wanna impose that on you and make you <em>think</em> you like her if you really don't."</p><p>"B-But... how do I find out, then?"</p><p>Lotte and Sucy shared another glance and thought for a moment.</p><p>"Hmm... Well, let's wait it out for the rest of the week. Depending on how you feel whenever she's around, or how she reacts to you, we'll probably be able to tell. Now that you've told us, Sucy and I can keep an eye out for things you might not have been able to notice on your own."</p><p>"Operation: Get Akko a Mate."</p><p>"Sucy, stop saying it like that! Geez..."</p><p>As her two friends started squabbling again, Akko finally let her hands fall away and back into her lap.</p><p><em>Do I... like Diana? L-Like </em>that?<em> I mean, I guess it would explain a few things... b-but, it feels so weird! How could I like someone who's only ever mean to me? But then again... she's </em>not<em> always mean to me... She can be nice sometimes, too. Like last night in the library...</em></p><p>Right now, Akko didn't know what to feel or how to feel it. Just the proposition that she might have a crush on her classmate was enough to occupy her mind right now. She'd just have to trust Lotte and Sucy to help her out with this and see what happened.</p><p>The three of them eventually got ready for bed. Lotte and Sucy promised to help Akko out tomorrow however they could, but also vowed to keep her secret. She also made them swear not to tell anyone about Akko seeing Diana crying last night, and they both agreed.</p><p>With a wave of her wand, Lotte put out all the lights and candles for the night.</p><p>And of course, Akko was restless almost all night long, her mind occupied by thoughts of Diana, still trying to figure out how she might really feel about her.</p><p>But of course, people didn't often lie awake in bed for hours each night thinking about someone they <em>didn't</em> like.</p><p>She realized that at about 2 in the morning before she finally decided to face the music.</p><p>
  <em>Maybe... I really like Diana...</em>
</p><p>Hopefully tomorrow, she'd get some surefire answers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>A/N: I think Akko having a crush on Diana would be quite adorable, but I know the anime won't ever go there.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Please leave comments or kudos!</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Fruitless Efforts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Remember, I wrote this fic before episodes 2+ of the anime were released. As such, all Akko/Diana interaction and references are based ONLY off the OVAs. No mention of the events of the anime or what happened with them in episodes 2 and up. I have other fics for that haha</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2. Fruitless Efforts</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For the remainder of the week, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy were determined to figure out for certain whether or not the former might have a crush on Diana, or vice versa.</p><p>In order to do so, it required Akko to go and talk to her classmate more often than she normally would have otherwise. While Akko stammered away, trying to figure out something to talk about that wouldn't result in Diana's biting her head off, Lotte and Sucy observed from afar, trying to stay undetected.</p><p>"Just act normal!" they told her.</p><p>But Akko discovered it was much more easily said than done.</p><p>Until now, Akko had always interacted with Diana however she'd considered to be 'normally'.</p><p>But now, the possibility that she might have a crush on Diana was constantly tacked to the back of her mind. It was all she could think about, whether she was in the middle of a lecture or a quiz, or face-to-face with her white-haired classmate.</p><p>The conscious consideration of the fact that she might harbor feelings for Diana had a major effect on the way Akko acted around her. She was much more flustered, much more likely to blush, and much less coordinated than usual – and that wasn't even a lot to begin with.</p><p>Akko needed to keep coming up with excuses in order to talk to Diana as often as possible so Lotte and Sucy could see how they acted around one another.</p><p>By the end of the week, Akko felt more exhausted than ever as she crashed onto her bed with a long groan.</p><p>"You guuuuuys... I don't think we've accomplished anything. All I've done is annoy her more..."</p><p>That was true for sure. Akko had gone to Diana at least ten times a day, simply to ask her random questions about homework that had been due a week earlier, or say something that ended up just being nonsensical.</p><p>Presently, Sucy sat down beside Akko and tapped her shoulder to get her to sit up.</p><p>"Well, let's replay the scenes, shall we?" With a wave of her wand, she cast a miniature movie screen in midair, the image being one of Akko and Diana in one of their classrooms. Naturally, Akko shrieked.</p><p>"S-Sucy! You recorded us?!"</p><p>"For science. Now shut up and watch. Maybe if you see for yourself how you act around her, you can figure something out."</p><p>She swished her wand and the makeshift movie screen started playing. Akko watched herself shuffle her way up to Diana's seat. She watched Diana roll her eyes even before Akko herself had called out to her.</p><p>"D-Diana!" her past self called out with a grin. "H-Hey, I was just wondering if you, um..."</p><p>"I am not giving you more of my notes, Akko," she'd snapped. Her two roommates appeared a second later.</p><p>"Yeeaah!" they chanted. "Like, go away."</p><p>The present Akko felt like she was being tortured, forced to watch herself make an attempt at speaking to Diana over and over again without success.</p><p>One time, she just stammered a lot of nonsense and didn't even end up getting out a real word before she'd been chased off.</p><p>Another time, when she was trying to sound interested in the spells they'd learned about that day, she switched up the words "pretty cool" and ended up saying "critty pool." That one got the biggest and loudest reaction from Diana's goons, and Akko felt the pangs of embarrassment just as badly now as she had at the time.</p><p>"Jeez! All right all right, just make it stop!" She grabbed Sucy's wand and cancelled the spell. "It's bad enough I had to live through all this the first time! Now I'm just getting second-hand embarrassment from myself again!"</p><p>Lotte came over to sit on her other side.</p><p>"So then... what do you think, Akko? Because Su and I can't tell if you're... well, if you might actually like Diana and that's why you're so nervous around her. Or if it's just because we're kinda making you go talk to her and you don't know what to do."</p><p>"So basically, we can't tell if you're embarrassed because you were talking to your crush," Sucy interjected. "Or if you're embarrassed because you knew you were the main subject of an experiment that was being observed."</p><p>"Ew, stop calling it an experiment!" Akko whined. But then, her shoulders slumped and all her vigor seemed to drain away. "But... I think I really might... have a bit of a crush on her... Whenever I... look at her or talk to her or even just <em>think</em> about her, my chest feels all tight. And my face always gets warm. Not a lot, but... it's enough to be noticeable."</p><p>It felt so strange to confess such a thing, but it also felt good.</p><p>Of course, her roommates reacted with confusion. It was very hard to swallow, after all.</p><p>"Huh." Sucy shrugged. "So even though she's so persnickety and always bullying you and making fun of you for liking Chariot-"</p><p>"Well, you guys did that too!" Akko said. "And you're still my best friends, right?"</p><p>"Oooh~?" Sucy hummed. "Jumping in right away to defend her, huh? Yeah, you've got it bad."</p><p>"H-Huh? I-I didn't even realize..." Akko's face started to turn pink again, and she slapped her hands to her face. "Oh man... what am I gonna <em>do</em>...?"</p><p>Thankfully, Lotte was a bit more sensitive than Sucy. She wrapped an arm around Akko's shoulders in an effort to comfort her.</p><p>"Well, that's up to you, Akko. If you wanna try to keep suppressing your feelings and keep it a secret, you can do that-"</p><p>"Buuuut I wouldn't recommend it," Sucy cut in. "Keeping it all bottled up? It's just gonna keep fizzing like a bottle of soda you keep shaking, until it finally explodes. And who knows, with your luck, you might <em>actually</em> explode."</p><p>"Sucy!"</p><p>"What? I'm just being realistic."</p><p>Akko whimpered at the idea of bloating until she popped.</p><p>"B-But... what are my other options...?"</p><p>"W-Well..." Lotte cleared her throat. "You could always tell Diana the truth."</p><p>"W-What?!" Akko yelped. "Y-You mean <em>confess</em> to Diana that I h-have a crush on her?! No way, no way, no way! I can't do that! She'll laugh at me for sure! Sh-She'll tell the whole school! She'll... she'll..."</p><p>But as she went on, Akko realized she was thinking about what the <em>old</em> Diana would do.</p><p>But maybe not the present Diana.</p><p>After all, Akko had saved the school from the Dragon, and Diana had helped her do it. She'd also saved Akko from falling to her premature death and splattering into a puddle.</p><p>And of course, she'd recently told Akko her heartfelt feelings of guilt and humiliation about releasing the Dragon in the first place. She'd even cried in front of her, hugged her back, and hadn't refuted it when Akko had called her a friend.</p><p>So maybe... maybe Diana wouldn't be so mean to her. Not if it was about something as serious as Akko's honest feelings towards her.</p><p>As she considered it mentally, her friends waited for her to say something else. Gradually, Akko shifted from a more high-pitched, panicked tone, to a calmer one.</p><p>"Then again... maybe she <em>won't</em>. M-Maybe she'll hear me out a-and consider me seriously. After all, we <em>have</em> kind of gotten, a little closer over the weeks, haven't we? She always acts mean in front of other people because she doesn't want to lose her reputation. S-So maybe if I can get her alone and tell her <em>that</em> way... maybe it won't be so bad."</p><p>"Yeah!" Lotte agreed. "That's a good way to think about it! Who knows? She might even like you back!"</p><p>"Unlikely-" Sucy commented. Lotte gave her a warning glare. Sucy rolled her eye. "Unlikely. But still possible."</p><p>Akko felt a smile spread across her lips. She straightened her back and looked to each of them in turn.</p><p>"Really? You guys think I should tell her?"</p><p>"I mean, it sounds much safer than keeping it all bottled up and risking explosion, right?" Lotte reasoned.</p><p>"And when you think about it," Sucy said. "The worst she can do is say no."</p><p>"Yeah..." Akko's eyes lit up with a new kind of determination, one she'd never experienced before.</p><p>She wasn't aiming to ace a test (not that she ever had), or learn a new spell, or save the school this time.</p><p>This time, she was going to confess her feelings to someone.</p><p>Of course, the fact that it was Diana was more than a little unnerving. After all, she <em>had</em> always been somewhat of a bully, and even after their conversation in the library, she'd continued putting up a front and didn't treat Akko very differently.</p><p>But Akko liked to think she knew Diana better than that. She was just saving face in front of the rest of the school. She wasn't about to let people know she might actually be <em>friends</em> with Akko.</p><p>But if Akko could just get her alone, and have her feel comfortable enough to be honest...</p><p>Maybe Diana would hear her out.</p><p>
  <em>And if she's really my friend now, she'll take it seriously. Even if she doesn't feel the same way about me, we can still keep on being friends! That would be really great!</em>
</p><p>So that night, Akko thanked her roommates for all of their help. She wasn't one to wait on these kinds of matters. She was the type to take action, even if some people might label her as impulsive because of it.</p><p>"Tomorrow," she decided. "I'm gonna tell her tomorrow."</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Again, easier said than done.</p><p>Akko woke up the next morning a complete mess, and not just because her hair was tangled and her clothes were ruffled and there was drool dribbling down the side of her mouth. She was always somewhat of a mess externally.</p><p>But today, there was also chaos <em>inside</em>.</p><p>She was stiff on the surface, but it felt like her insides had been turned to mush. She even accused Sucy of actually doing that with another spell of hers.</p><p>But Sucy proclaimed her innocence. "I've only gotten to altering entire physical forms and appearances," she said. "I can't do the inside without doing the outside. So it wasn't me."</p><p>"Are you suuuuure?" Akko whined as she wrestled her way into her uniform. "I think I might prefer if you really turned my guts to jelly."</p><p>"Really?"</p><p>"W-Wait! N-Never mind..."</p><p>As the excited spark faded from Sucy's uncovered eye, Lotte found Akko's hair tie and tied her ponytail for her.</p><p>"Are you really going to do this today, Akko? You could wait a while, you know. It's not the end of the world if you take your time and try to figure things out a bit more."</p><p>But Akko shook her head.</p><p>"Mm, no! I've gotta do it! Now that I know how I feel, it's only fair to Diana that I tell her right away! Th-That's what it feels like..."</p><p>"Well, okay. If you're sure." Lotte gave her a pat on the back. "Whatever happens, remember Sucy and I are here for you, okay?"</p><p>Akko bit her lip and looked up at her friend. Lotte was always sincere, especially when it came to looking after her friends. When Akko glanced at Sucy, even she smiled and gave a nod.</p><p>Akko felt a surge of tears welling up.</p><p>"Uwaahh, you guys!" She grabbed each of them and pulled them into a tight hug. "Thank you so much! I'll do my best today!"</p><p>Of course, Akko wanted to maintain a confident mindset as she prepared herself for what she planned to do today.</p><p>But as soon as she was stumbling (late) into class again and taking her seat, she felt like the entire world was staring at her. She knew nobody was, because she was almost always late, so her classmates and professors had stopped being surprised about that.</p><p>But it <em>felt</em> like everyone was just... staring at her. Like the whole Academy knew what she was going to do today, even though in reality only her two closest friends really knew.</p><p>She'd often spend half her lectures trying to pay attention to the professor, and the other half stealing glances at Diana whenever she participated, or even sometimes when she was just being quiet.</p><p>But today, Akko only managed to steal one glance at her, and couldn't handle any more.</p><p><em>Keep it together!</em> she coached herself. <em>All you've gotta do is be honest with her! I'll ask her to come to the library with me after classes just like I planned.</em></p><p>That way, even if someone overheard them somehow, they wouldn't have to sit through afternoon classes feeling incredibly awkward. If anything went awry with this, they'd have a weekend to figure it out before coming back to classes.</p><p>She kept replaying how it would go in her mind, in addition to the possible outcomes based on Diana's reaction. She'd probably be totally blown away to start, but in the end might actually admit she felt something for Akko, too. Maybe they'd have to keep their relationship a secret, or maybe they could proudly tell the whole school.</p><p>Though that seemed highly unlikely.</p><p>Diana could reject her, but Akko felt she'd try to do it kindly, at least. Hopefully she'd still want to be friends to a certain degree.</p><p>Akko felt she'd be more than fine with that, too.</p><p>She just wanted to be closer to Diana. She wanted to be her friend at the very least, someone Diana wasn't afraid to talk to or cry in front of.</p><p>Anything more than 'friends' was a stretch, and perhaps even a miracle.</p><p>But 'friends' was the basic tier of desire for sure.</p><p>Akko sat through six hours' worth of lectures on magic, spells, and significant witches throughout history. She didn't even manage to bring herself to eat at lunch because she was too excited and nervous.</p><p>By the time the final bell rang, she felt like she might fall out of her seat. Lotte and Sucy were there to hold her up.</p><p>"Akko!" Lotte chided. "I <em>told</em> you you should've eaten something!"</p><p>"N-No... Can't... I'll barf..."</p><p>"Well, <em>that</em> would certainly guarantee Diana never speaking to you again," Sucy offered helpfully.</p><p>"Uughgh..." Akko swayed between them as they tried to support her. "But I gotta. I've gotta do this! I planned it out specifically! It has to be today! It has to be now! I've gotta tell Diana-!"</p><p>"Akko!" Lotte hushed her before she could announce it to the entire classroom as everyone was leaving for dismissal.</p><p>To make matters worse, Diana herself just so happened to be walking past them at the time. She heard her own name and paused, turning towards the trio with mild interest in her eyes.</p><p>"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow. "Tell Diana what, exactly?"</p><p>Akko shrieked and nearly stumbled back over her own chair. Lotte and Sucy grabbed her and helped her stay upright. As if on cue, Barbara and Hannah popped up and went off.</p><p>"Oooh~? Like, what's this? Little Miss Fritty Pool again?"</p><p>"Like, why can't you just leave us alone? When are you gonna get it through your thick head that Diana doesn't wanna <em>talk</em> to you?"</p><p>They started cackling as usual, a sound Akko was sure she'd heard in her nightmares before. She suddenly felt even worse than before, like there was someone punching her in the gut repeatedly.</p><p>But at least Diana wasn't laughing at her, too. She was still waiting for an answer as to why Akko had said her name. She even went so far as to silence the other two with a flick of her wrist.</p><p>"Well?" she said expectantly. "Let's hear it, Akko."</p><p>"Yeaah!"</p><p>"Let's hear it!"</p><p>Both trios faced one another. Sucy glowered at Hannah while Lotte gave Barbara a look of stern disapproval. Leaving Akko and Diana to focus on one another.</p><p>Arms behind her back as always, Diana's stance and posture made her look habitually impatient, like she had somewhere more important to be. But something about her eyes said she was genuinely curious about what Akko had to say.</p><p>The brunette sucked in a deep breath, trying to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach.</p><p>"Actually... I'd wanted to talk to you alone, Diana. Th-Think we could-"</p><p>"Sorry," she said. "I've got somewhere to be. Whatever it is, you'll have to say it here, or it'll have to wait until Monday."</p><p>Akko's heart sank. She'd been resolved to do this today, but not like this.</p><p>By now, all of their classmates had stopped to surround them, mumbling and murmuring as they wondered what was going on between the six witches.</p><p>Akko didn't know what to do. She looked around herself at all the other girls gathered here now. She looked to Lotte and to Sucy, who also appeared to be at a loss. She knew they'd support her no matter what she decided to do.</p><p>Akko ignored Barbara and Hannah with their mean smiles and narrowed eyes. She looked directly up into Diana's calculating gaze.</p><p>Though there was a bit of impatience there indeed, Akko failed to detect any intentional unkindness. More than anything, she seemed curious to hear what Akko had to say.</p><p>So that was it. She had to tell her.</p><p>Akko took another deep breath, hoping the idle chatter that had filled the room by now would drown her out. But the second her voice hit the air, everyone fell dead silent.</p><p>"It's just that... I-I really like you, Diana!"</p><p>Her voice echoed around the room, bouncing off the walls and coming back to her, making her listen to her own confession again and again.</p><p>No one moved. No one spoke. No one even breathed.</p><p>The shock was palpable, almost tangible, as everyone's jaws dropped. They all turned to Diana for a reaction, waiting in the highest form of suspense.</p><p>Akko didn't budge. She kept her eyes trained on Diana's, showing her just how serious she was about this.</p><p>This was it. The moment of truth.</p><p>Depending on how Diana reacted to this – in front of <em>everyone</em> – her relationship with Akko might be able to flourish and turn into something kinder, more productive. They were friends now, right?</p><p>Akko trusted her. She trusted Diana with her feelings-</p><p>"Is this some kind of joke?"</p><p>"...Huh?"</p><p>Akko felt her heart jolt.</p><p>Diana was looking back at her in disbelief, which was understandable. But the defensive tone of her voice was a little uncalled for. She squared her shoulders and repeated herself coldly.</p><p>"I asked if this was a joke?" she snapped.</p><p>Again, silence. Akko realized she needed to say something.</p><p>"N-No! It's not a joke! Wh-Why would I-"</p><p>"Because it seems like a joke to me. Are you making fun of me? Trying to embarrass me in front of everyone and throw me off my game?"</p><p>"Wh-What? No, I-"</p><p>"Because it isn't going to work, Akko. I don't believe you."</p><p>Diana turned away, hiding her expression from Akko and from everyone else.</p><p>Akko was stunned, her voice nothing more than a tremor now.</p><p>"D-Diana-"</p><p>"Hey, you heard her!" Hannah barked.</p><p>"Yeah, leave her alone, you freak!" Barbara snapped.</p><p>Akko was at a complete lost.</p><p>She'd been embarrassed before. She'd made a fool of herself in front of the entire school more than once before.</p><p>But she'd never... <em>never</em>... felt as horrible as she felt right now.</p><p>Diana hadn't spared her <em>at all</em>.</p><p>Not only had she rejected her feelings, but she'd accused Akko of <em>lying</em> about it. Diana hadn't even believed she was being genuine about her confession.</p><p>Helplessly, Akko turned to Lotte and Sucy. But each of them looked just as shocked and dejected as she was feeling.</p><p>It wasn't long after that when everyone else started to chatter again.</p><p>"D-Did she just-"</p><p>"<em>Confess?</em> To <em>Diana?</em>"</p><p>"As in, like... she's in <em>love</em> with her?"</p><p>"She <em>can't</em> be serious."</p><p>"Maybe she got hit on the head when she was fighting that Dragon."</p><p>It was more than she could take. Akko really felt like she was going to be sick this time.</p><p>With a burst of adrenaline, she wrung herself away from Lotte and Sucy, then darted down the aisle for the doors. She didn't even look back as she passed Diana. She just kept running.</p><p>Someone called out for her, but she didn't listen.</p><p>No one was coming after her. She didn't want them to.</p><p>She just ran until she found the nearest restroom.</p><p>And she didn't need a wand in order to lock herself inside and cry her heart out.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I know, I know, probably a bit too dramatic, even for Akko? I'm still not sure myself if this is how she'd react to something like this, but I think it's a possibility. If she really felt something with all her heart and had faith it would turn out all right, only to be proven so horribly wrong, I think she'd break down crying.</p><p>So far, in the anime, we've only see her whimper and almost cry. But god, I can only imagine how heartbreaking it'd be to see her really sobbing.</p><p>How is this going to affect Akko in the future? What's she going to do?</p><p>Please leave comments or kudos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Little Understanding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In the second OVA, we see that Akko isn't all just happy-go-lucky and carefree all the time. She gets angry, she gets upset, and she overreacts and gets herself into a slump. I tried to stick to what we saw of her personality in canon there, and interpreted it within the conditions of this story.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 3. A Little Understanding</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Akko fell into a deep melancholy after her confession and subsequent rejection.</p><p>She didn't come out of that bathroom stall for hours, not until Lotte and Sucy found her and talked to her for a while. They offered sincere apologies for the way things had turned out, and hugged her from both sides.</p><p>They made sure only to bring her back out into the hallways and back to their dorm room when no one else was around.</p><p>Once back at their room, Akko limped over to her bed and disappeared beneath the blankets without so much as removing her shoes. Lotte and Sucy shared concerned looks with one another, but decided to let her be. Their hope was that Akko might be better in the morning.</p><p>But when dawn broke and her alarm started going off, there was no Akko-like shrieking or moaning as she fumbled around like a fish out of water to hit the snooze button. She simply reached out, tapped the clock, and was still again.</p><p>She was so quiet, and all they ever heard from her were sighs.</p><p>Lotte peered down at her friend from her top bunk, but Akko's face was hidden beneath the blankets. Worriedly, she glanced over at Sucy. The potion master shrugged and sat up, then slunk her way over to Akko's bed to clear her throat.</p><p>"Akko? Better get up soon. You're gonna miss breakfast."</p><p>They feared her response might only be more tight, anxious silence. But when she actually spoke, her voice didn't end up bringing them any solace.</p><p>"Not hungry."</p><p>She sounded so... defeated. So sad.</p><p>Lotte whimpered softly and cast Sucy another imploring look, begging her to try again. Sucy was getting concerned too. She tried giving Akko another rational reason to get out of bed.</p><p>"Well, you might at least wanna shower. You haven't changed clothes since yesterday."</p><p>But again, Akko's response was dry and lifeless.</p><p>"It doesn't matter. I'm just gonna stay here today. There aren't any classes, so it's fine..."</p><p>Lotte couldn't keep quiet any longer.</p><p>"B-But Akko! Remember? There's a guest speaker coming today! The Academy planned for her to visit on a weekend so everyone could see her without worrying about conflicting class times! You should come see her!"</p><p>But still, Akko didn't budge.</p><p>"Maybe some other time..."</p><p>Lotte saw Sucy's shoulders slump just as easily as she felt her own.</p><p>Despite their best efforts that morning, they couldn't get their friend out of bed. In hopes that letting her rest and think things over for the day might do the trick, they left her with words of encouragement and comfort, then headed out together.</p><p>They enjoyed themselves in attending the guest speaker. The woman was much more fun than a guest lecturer they might've been made to see during class times. She demonstrated fun magics and cast humorous spells that had the entire auditorium laughing.</p><p>But Lotte and Sucy could only enjoy themselves so much without Akko.</p><p>When the performance was over, the guest witch conjured up pink cotton candy from a giant cauldron, and distributed it all to the happy students. Lotte and Sucy each received one stick, but decided to split one between them and save the other for Akko.</p><p>As they exited the auditorium amongst the joyful crowds, the two girls conversed a bit less enthusiastically.</p><p>"It's such a shame..." Lotte sighed. "Akko would've loved that."</p><p>"At least we got her a souvenir."</p><p>"Yeah... I just hope she's feeling better by now..."</p><p>The two of them picked away at one stick of cotton candy, and by the time they got back to the dorm room, they'd finished it. Lotte gave a timid little knock and called out to their friend.</p><p>"Akko! We're back! Are you still there?"</p><p>There was no response of any kind. Lotte and Sucy shared a glance. They were a bit hopeful that perhaps Akko had gotten up and gone out on her own.</p><p>But that also was a bit worrisome, to a degree. Nonetheless, they opened the door and stepped inside.</p><p>To their dismay, Akko was still in bed, on her side facing the Chariot poster on the wall, silent and unresponsive. Lotte sighed, but it was less out of relief and more out of disappointment.</p><p>"Oh, were you still asleep? Sorry if we woke you."</p><p>Akko merely shrugged.</p><p>Biting her lip, Lotte sat down on the edge of her friend's bed. "S-So, the guest performer was really fun. We think you would've liked her."</p><p>"We got you some cotton candy," Sucy added, waving the treat around like a glow-stick.</p><p>But any hopes that Akko might perk up or go off rambling like her old self were shot down as she remained monotonous.</p><p>"That's nice... But I'm not hungry. Use it for your potions, Su."</p><p>Normally, Sucy might've been thrilled at the prospect of getting to try out a new ingredient in her potion mixing practices.</p><p>But now, she was more confused and upset by the fact that Akko had rejected the cotton candy in the first place. She laid the treat down on her desk and made her way over to sit beside Lotte on the bed, peering curiously over the lump of blankets that was Akko.</p><p>Lotte didn't want to give up yet. She kept trying to get her old friend back out of the shell she'd become.</p><p>"S-Say, Akko... if you're feeling up to it, w-why don't we go for a walk or something? Just so you can stretch your legs?"</p><p>It got a reaction out of her, but not the kind Lotte had been hoping for.</p><p>"Why?" Akko mumbled bitterly. "So everyone else can just laugh at me some more? I'd rather not."</p><p>Sucy tried her hand at comfort.</p><p>"Everyone's in a good mood today. I bet they already forget what happened."</p><p>"And <em>I</em> bet they haven't. As soon as anyone sees me, I'll become a laughing stock again. So I'd rather just... stay here..."</p><p>"Akko..." Lotte reached out and tapped her shoulder. "This isn't like you. Do you want us to call for the nurse?"</p><p>"No. I <em>wanna</em> be left alone!" Akko snapped the comment and wrung herself away from Lotte's hand. Lotte recoiled, looking as though she'd been physically struck.</p><p>"Akko..."</p><p>"We just wanna help," Sucy reminded her.</p><p>"Well, the best way you guys can do that is by leaving me alone..." With that, she pulled the blankets up over her head, without ever showing them her face once.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy were at a loss for what to do. Akko had had her fair share of little temper tantrums before, but they could tell this was different. She wasn't just moping or complaining. This time, she was angry and depressed. It was worse than anything they'd seen her go through before.</p><p>Again, Lotte tried to reach out to her friend.</p><p>"Akko..."</p><p>But before she could touch her, Sucy stopped her. She shook her head and stood, bringing Lotte back a pace with her.</p><p>"Let's give her what she wants. Let her be for now. That's all we can really do."</p><p>Lotte sighed.</p><p>"I guess you're right..."</p><p>So the two of them left the room once again.</p><p>But this time, just as they closed the door behind them, they heard the sounds of crying from the other side.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>They had hoped by Monday, Akko would be feeling well enough to go back to attending their classes.</p><p>However, that morning, she told her roommates she was going to skip, just for one day.</p><p>But she ended up skipping the next two days as well.</p><p>It got to the point where professors started asking about her, even seeming to <em>miss</em> her enthusiasm, as unprecedented as it might've been at times.</p><p>Every class without Akko was so much more... boring. Lifeless. There was no energy in those rooms anymore. No more mumbling jokes or incantations behind the professors' backs. No more excited, sing-songy comments or hyperactive speeches about how Chariot had probably once taken that very same class and sat in the very same seat.</p><p>By the end of the week, everyone was asking about Akko, wondering where she was. Lotte and Sucy just kept telling them the truth, saying she wasn't feeling well.</p><p>Those who had been present during the incident that had sparked all of this started feeling guilty for laughing and making fun of her. Akko's teammates were a little glad to see that, at the very least.</p><p>By the time their final class had ended on Friday, an entire week after the event, everyone was gossiping about Akko. Talk of her filled the air of just about every lecture hall and classroom.</p><p>"Did you hear? Akko's still in bed."</p><p>"She hasn't come out of her room for a whole week!"</p><p>"Is she that sick?"</p><p>"Not sick. I think she's depressed. Like suuuper depressed."</p><p>"Rumor has it she's going to fail her classes since she's not showing up. Then she'll be expelled!"</p><p>"Really? I heard she'd already packed her bags and is planning on quitting by herself."</p><p>"Really? That girl's leaving the Academy? Of all people?"</p><p>The chatter was nonstop and laced with a tone of unease and even concern. Everyone was feeling upset about the news of Akko potentially leaving the Academy. Even those who hadn't been present to laugh at her at the time were sad, knowing they'd eventually come to miss Akko's presence here.</p><p>But no one was feeling quite as horrible as the girl who had caused all of this in the first place.</p><p>Diana couldn't even stand to stay in the classroom a second after the bell had rung. She grabbed all of her things and rushed for the door, but still managed to hear every comment.</p><p>"It's because Diana rejected her, isn't it?"</p><p>"Well I mean, that's not Diana's fault."</p><p>"But it's not Akko's either, right?"</p><p>All week, people had been pestering Diana about what had happened, asking her why Akko had confessed, and why Diana herself had reacted the way she had.</p><p>She'd just told them the truth of what had happened; that she didn't know why Akko had confessed to her, and that she herself had only replied with natural confusion and disbelief.</p><p>The school seemed to be split down the middle, half the students on Akko's side and the other half on Diana's.</p><p><em>How absurd! </em>She thought as she made her way out of the room, leaving Hannah and Barbara to chatter with the rest. <em>They talk as if I planned all of this! As if I did this on purpose just to get her out of the Academy! Ridiculous! I never wanted her to leave...</em></p><p>She pushed open the door to the nearest bathroom, finding it empty. Heaving a sigh, she walked over to the sink to hold onto it, but couldn't even bear to look up at her own reflection. She was too ashamed.</p><p>"I didn't... mean for this to happen," she reminded herself. "It's not my fault..."</p><p>She turned on the faucet and cupped her hands, then splashed her face with warm water. She told herself whatever warm wetness she felt slipping down her cheeks was from that, and nothing more.</p><p>As she busied herself, she didn't notice that two other girls had followed her into the bathroom. Diana tore off a paper towel and hide her face in it to let it dry, then grabbed her wand. With a quick flick of it, she created a warm gust of air to dry off the rest of her face and hair.</p><p>Just as she was turning to toss away the paper towel, someone tapped her shoulder.</p><p>"Diana?"</p><p>With a gasp, she whipped around to find herself face to face with Lotte and Sucy. Diana squared her shoulders and tried to straighten up.</p><p>"Oh? If it isn't Akko's teammates... W-Where is she, by the way? Is she really still cooped up in your room? That isn't healthy. You two should bring her out of there."</p><p>"We've tried!" Lotte snapped.</p><p>Diana flinched and took a step back at her vehemence. Lotte Yanson had always been a polite, soft-spoken girl. To hear her shout so suddenly and desperately like that was unheard of. Her eyes were narrowed and angry behind her glasses, and her hands were balled into fists.</p><p>"We've tried everything, Diana! But she won't listen to us no matter what we do! And now... n-now she might quit the Academy... or be expelled..." She staggered back, the anger draining from her voice and body all at once. Tears rose up instead, and she buried her hands in her face. "She'll... she'll never be able to live her dream if that happens..."</p><p>Sucy put an arm around her for support.</p><p>Diana was stiff in her place, gripping the wet paper towel so hard her nails tore through it and back into her own palm.</p><p>"Of course... no one wants that," she sighed.</p><p>Lotte's anger flared up again as she shot her an accusing look.</p><p>"Then why did you do that?!"</p><p>"Eh?" Again, Diana took a step back and found herself trapped against the sink. Lotte tried to advance on her, but Sucy held her back.</p><p>"Hold on a sec," she said. "Let's all calm down."</p><p>"H-How can you say that, Sucy?!" Lotte cried. "A-Akko's about to leave the Academy! It's Diana's fault!"</p><p>"Is it?" Sucy deadpanned. Lotte stopped, sniffled, and blinked, trying to make sense of things more rationally now.</p><p>Sucy went on. "If I recall..."</p><p>She retrieved her wand and cast a familiar spell, one that created a makeshift movie screen of sorts in midair. On it was the image of Akko's confession to Diana. Lotte grabbed her roommate's sleeves.</p><p>"S-Sucy! You recorded that, too?"</p><p>"Just watch." She swished her wand, and the magical video started playing.</p><p>Diana didn't budge from her spot pressed back against the sink, but she did incline her face to watch as well.</p><p>All three of them were silent as they re-watched the scene that had taken place a week ago.</p><p>But having to see it all again made Diana's chest ache. She looked away so she wouldn't have to see Akko's dejected face, but she still had to listen to her timid voice and the cruel laughter of their classmates.</p><p>By the time Akko had run off, Diana couldn't take it anymore.</p><p>"Enough."</p><p>Sternly, she flicked her own wand and canceled Sucy's spell.</p><p>Diana put a hand to her mouth, feeling so wretched she feared she might be sick into that paper towel.</p><p>Sucy willingly let the spell dissipate before putting her own wand away. She turned back to Lotte, who seemed to have composed herself by now.</p><p>"See?" Sucy grunted. "What did Diana do wrong? What did she say?"</p><p>Lotte looked from Sucy to Diana and back again.</p><p>"She... just asked if it was a joke..."</p><p>"Exactly." Sucy nodded. "And if you think about it, anyone would've reacted the same way if a classmate of theirs suddenly drew a crowd and confessed to them out of the blue, right?" She kept her eye on Diana, who by now had let her hand fall from her mouth.</p><p>"That's right," she mumbled. "That's exactly right. I truthfully thought it was a joke. What was I <em>supposed</em> to think? It's Akko, after all. She's notorious for her little pranks all over campus. I wasn't trying to hurt her. I just truthfully thought she was kidding..."</p><p>Sucy nodded.</p><p>"Just like you'd said, you thought she might be trying to embarrass you or make fun of you. As the daughter of such a prestigious family, you've probably dealt with just as much mockery as you have praise. So you naturally thought Akko was trying to humiliate you. Which wasn't her intention, but it might've been the result, to a certain degree."</p><p>Diana grit her teeth, her eyes trained on the white tile floor.</p><p>"I don't care about that," she rasped. "I don't care if people start talking poorly of me. I'd just... hate to see her leave because of this..."</p><p>Sucy nodded again.</p><p>"We all would. Especially since this was just a big misunderstanding."</p><p>"Misunderstanding?" Lotte repeated. "How could it be? Diana rejected her, even when Akko insisted she was being honest..."</p><p>"Did she reject her?" Sucy prompted. "What did she say? Do you remember?"</p><p>Lotte closed her eyes and thought back to the recording Sucy had just shown them. She tried to recall the last thing Diana had said in all of this.</p><p>"<em>'I don't believe you...</em>'"</p><p>She ended up saying it out loud, at the same time Diana herself repeated the phrase.</p><p>Lotte finally looked up at the other witch, now that her initial sense of anger had subsided. Not for a single second since she and Sucy had entered that bathroom had Diana shouted at them or defended herself against the accusations. She wasn't angry or livid in any way.</p><p>In fact, she looked... she looked a bit like Akko.</p><p>She looked exhausted, upset, like she was constantly about to break down. Only Diana did a much better job of concealing it, on top of still attending all of her classes diligently.</p><p>But Lotte could tell now. Diana had been just as hurt by all of this as Akko had.</p><p>She understood that now.</p><p>Diana lifted her gaze to meet Lotte's, keeping her voice low and regretful.</p><p>"I didn't reject her. I wasn't the one who called her names. All that I said was that I didn't believe her. And I didn't. I truthfully didn't. How could I have...?" She fell silent once again and lowered her eyes.</p><p>Sucy gave a grunt.</p><p>"Right. All Diana did was react, but she didn't ever attack Akko. She was just confused and in disbelief, sort of like the rest of us." Here, her lips curved up into a small, soft smile, and she placed a hand on Lotte's shoulder. "But since we're Akko's friends, we couldn't help but want to place the blame on someone. Naturally, we decided this was all Diana's fault, didn't we? But I don't really think it is."</p><p>Lotte let out a long sigh, no traces of anger or bitterness left. Now, she was back to her old self, patient and open-minded.</p><p>"You're right, Sucy." She looked up to Diana once more. "This... this isn't your fault. Sorry."</p><p>Diana finally took a step away from the sink, though she still leaned back against it a bit.</p><p>"That's what I've been saying..."</p><p>"You're right," Lotte admitted. "I'm sorry for accusing you. Like Sucy said, I was just blinded by my friendship to Akko. I needed to blame someone for what happened to her, and I decided to blame you. And I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Diana."</p><p>At long last, the white-haired witched released her hold on the shredded paper towel, and the blood began to flow properly back into her fingers.</p><p>"There is no need for you to apologize," she murmured. "After all, it really seems like all of this is my fault."</p><p>"B-But it's not!" Lotte cried. "Sucy just showed us that, and she's right! You never rejected Akko or said anything mean to her! You were just surprised and confused, and that's to be expected! It isn't your fault Akko and the rest of us viewed it as a rejection."</p><p>Diana held her gaze for a moment, but said nothing. Lotte could tell she really had been feeling awful about it all this time. It must have been nice for Diana to finally have someone see her side of things.</p><p>A moment of silence passed, and all three girls got ahold of their bearings.</p><p>Lotte turned to her teammate, a little impressed and a little upset with her.</p><p>"Geez, Sucy! If you'd known it was never Diana's fault, then why did you let it go on for so long?"</p><p>"I only just re-watched the footage last night," she shrugged. "And I knew we were gonna try to talk to her today, so I figured I'd tell you at the same time. But now you understand, right?"</p><p>Lotte nodded.</p><p>"Yeah... Thank you for being so level-headed with everything, Sucy. I sure wasn't."</p><p>"You were just trying to defend Akko. That's what a friend would do."</p><p>"Yeah, but not if it meant wrongly accusing someone else." Again, she looked up rather guiltily at Diana. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"You've already apologized," Diana reminded her. "Though I must admit I'm... rather relieved you two understand now. I never meant to hurt Akko like that..."</p><p>"Yeah... now it's obvious," Lotte agreed. "It was really just the mean things everyone <em>else</em> said about her."</p><p>"And I am at fault for allowing them to make such comments," Diana sighed. "I shouldn't have let them. Now look at this mess..." Her gaze made its way to Sucy's neutral one, and Diana was sure to address her as well. "On another note... why did you go through all of this trouble to defend me, Manbavaran?"</p><p>Sucy just shrugged again.</p><p>"I wasn't particularly trying to defend you. I just wanted everyone to view the situation objectively." She smiled. "But I'm glad it worked. Because now we're all on the same page."</p><p>"Yes we are," Diana agreed. "And something must be done."</p><p>"But..." Lotte sighed again. "Sucy and I have done all we could for Akko. We've tried everything..."</p><p>Now, Diana stepped forward and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.</p><p>"You're right. You two have done all you can." Then, for the first time in a week, Diana put on a smile of her own. "So allow <em>me</em> give it a try."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I figured Sucy would be the one to be objective in this situation. From what we've seen so far, I feel Lotte would be the one to get blinded by her friendship with Akko, but Sucy might be more likely to see things how they really are.</p><p>Please leave comments or kudos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Quiet Recuperation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been rough for Akko and for all of us, hasn't it? It pains me to write her being dejected just as badly as it pains you to read it.</p><p>But at least she's not alone!</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 4. Quiet Recuperation</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The next morning, Lotte and Sucy were awake at the crack of dawn.</p><p>They checked to make sure Akko was in her bed, and were relieved to find her still asleep.</p><p>This was their only task for today; to keep Akko within their sights, and to ensure she didn't get up and disappear from the Academy before Diana could try her hand at making things right again.</p><p>Diana hadn't told Lotte and Sucy the specifics of her plan, but she'd promised them she'd do everything she could. She just needed a bit of time to prepare everything.</p><p>So today, their job was to buy Diana time, and to keep Akko from leaving.</p><p>They didn't think that would be very difficult, since Akko had been intent on staying in her bed all week now.</p><p>But today, she actually pushed herself out of bed with a surprising amount of conviction. Lotte perked up right away and leaned over the side of her bunk bed to peer down at her.</p><p>"Akko! You're up!"</p><p>"Feeling any better?" Sucy wondered.</p><p>But Akko didn't give a direct answer. She just let the blankets fall from her shoulders and sat there on her bed.</p><p>At the very least, she'd gotten up to take a bath, change out of her uniform, and remove her shoes a few days ago, but she hadn't changed out of her pajamas since. Her t-shirt and shorts were ruffled now, and her hair was a matted, unkempt mess.</p><p>But when she lifted her hand and motioned for them to come sit with her, Lotte and Sucy didn't waste a second. They were on either side of her immediately, stroking through her hair and smoothing out her clothes.</p><p>"Akko?" Lotte murmured. "What is it?"</p><p>"Wanna go eat?" Sucy offered.</p><p>But Akko shook her head. She pulled them both into a hug, and broke down before she could even start talking.</p><p>"I-I'm... so sorry..." she whimpered.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy shared a pained look, but hugged her back tightly.</p><p>"What are you saying?" Lotte asked. "You don't need to be sorry about anything."</p><p>Akko only wailed louder.</p><p>"N-No! T-The other day... all this time, you guys've only been trying to help me... a-and all I ever did was yell at you and push you away..."</p><p>They could tell this wasn't her usual manner of crying. There was no over-exaggerated blubbering or excessive sobbing. It wasn't an Akko-like way of crying.</p><p>This sounded like it really hurt, like she was really broken and at a loss, like she was truly feeling wretched and horrible.</p><p>"I'm sorry..." she whispered. "Lotte... Sucy..."</p><p>"Akko..."</p><p>"It's okay."</p><p>They just kept hugging her back, their support being most of what was keeping her up now. She sobbed bitterly into Lotte's shoulder first, then turned around and did the same for Sucy. She left damp spots on both of their clothes, shaking and crying all the while.</p><p>They tried to soothe her and reassure her everything was all right.</p><p>By the time she was finally able to speak again, Akko still refused to look either of them in the eye.</p><p>"Y-You guys... I... I think I'm gonna quit school..."</p><p>Both of them tensed up immediately.</p><p>"N-No!" Lotte pleaded. "Akko, you can't!"</p><p>"You won't be expelled," Sucy put in. "You've used up a lot of your absences, but you'll still be able to stay if you come back to classes on Monday."</p><p>"No... I... I don't think I can do this after all... I can't become a witch... I'm not even descendent from them..."</p><p>"D-Don't say that!" Lotte gasped. "Akko, becoming a witch is your dream! What about Chariot?"</p><p>"You're upset," Sucy reminded her. "A lot's happened this week. Don't make such a big decision when you're not thinking clearly."</p><p>"She's right!" Lotte said instantly. "Please, Akko. Just... give it one more day. Think about it a little longer. You <em>can't</em> give up now. Please..." She pulled Akko in and hugged her tighter than ever before.</p><p>Akko could tell right away how earnest they were both being. She let out another heavy breath.</p><p>"You guys are right... S-Sorry..."</p><p>"It's okay," Lotte murmured. "Just don't give up, Akko..."</p><p>"We're here for you." Sucy scooted closer and put her arms around them both.</p><p>Akko cried for a while longer. Lotte and Sucy refused to leave her side.</p><p>By noontime, they were shocked to see a change in their best friend. Akko wiped her own tears away and sat up straight. She sniffled a bit, but when she spoke again, there was an unmistakable smile on her lips, the first one she'd shown in a week.</p><p>"You guys..." She bit her lip a little bashfully. "I'm really hungry."</p><p>Their eyes widened, but the sight of her smile caused them to do the same.</p><p>With happy cries of her name, they tackled her down onto her bed in a big, joyful group hug.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>All day from then on, Lotte and Sucy did everything they could to help Akko come back to being her old self.</p><p>Realizing she'd always have them no matter what had been the catalyst to her recovery, and they wanted to do whatever was necessary to keep her spirits up.</p><p>They prepared a nice bath for her first, Lotte running the water before casting a spell that would keep it warm regardless of how long it sat out in the open air. Sucy placed a few herbs in the water to make everything smell sweet and feel relaxing.</p><p>Wrapped in her towel, Akko watched them prepare it all. When it as all ready, they closed the door and left her there for as long as she needed it.</p><p>Of course, they were both pressed against the other side of the door, listening intently in case they heard her crying. To their relief, all they heard were happy, though sometimes tired, little sighs.</p><p>But they'd rather hear exhaustion over sadness any day.</p><p>Once Akko had finished her relaxing bath and put on her clothes, Sucy cast a spell to help dry her hair with one quick, warm blast of air, gathering all the water and letting it splash onto the floor. Lotte scolded her and asked her to clean it up, while Akko gave her first little laugh in a week.</p><p>It was a wonderful sound, one they realized they'd lived far too long without hearing. It raised their spirits and made them all the more determined to help her feel better.</p><p>While Sucy cleaned up the water, Lotte brought Akko to her bed and started brushing her hair for her.</p><p>When they were all ready, they finally decided on what to do for lunch. All this week, Akko had been eating morsels of whatever they'd brought back and left for her, but she hadn't had an appetite for any full meals.</p><p>It was certainly reassuring to finally see her hungry enough to want to leave the room.</p><p>But just before Akko could step out the door and into the hallway, images of all her laughing classmates flooded her mind once again. She froze, shuddered, and recoiled.</p><p>Lotte gave her a curious glance.</p><p>"Akko? Are you gonna come?"</p><p>"M-Maybe not. Not just yet..."</p><p>The others seemed to understand right away. Sucy offered to fetch food herself and bring it back for them all, while Lotte opted to stay behind with Akko and keep her company. Akko thanked them both, relieved they weren't frustrated with her.</p><p>She and Lotte talked alone together for a while. Lotte listened to all Akko had to say about the upsetting matter of Diana's rejection.</p><p>Lotte very nearly revealed that she and Sucy had talked to the other witch and seen her side of things. But she held her tongue, knowing Diana would pull through with her own plan to try and make things right.</p><p>They talked until a familiar knock on the door announced Sucy's return.</p><p>All that afternoon and evening, the three of them ate and chatted together, just as they always had. It made Akko realize just how badly she'd missed this, and it made the others realize just how badly they'd missed her.</p><p>By the time they changed into their pajamas and started getting ready for bed, Akko tripped and bonked her head against the side of Lotte's bunk. Her friends rushed to her side to check if she was okay, and Akko merely gave a sheepish laugh.</p><p>With the return of her old self came the return of her clumsy personality, it seemed. Lotte and Sucy wouldn't have it any other way.</p><p>Akko set her alarm, then placed the pumpkin-shaped clock on her nightstand as always. Sucy closed up the last of the potions she'd been working on and fed her carnivorous plants their supper before heading to her own bed. Likewise, Lotte sang her bottled nymphs to sleep, then crawled up into her bunk above Akko.</p><p>They all got settled, but Lotte and Sucy couldn't help but keep their attention trained on Akko.</p><p>"So..." the former hummed. "Are you feeling any better, Akko?"</p><p>"You usually do after you've gotten something in your belly," Sucy noted.</p><p>Akko smiled again.</p><p>"I think I do feel a bit better! Thanks you guys! But... I bet going back to classes on Monday is gonna be brutal..." Her shoulders slumped, and she looked down at her lap.</p><p>It took her teammates a second to comprehend what she'd said, but as soon as they did, their hopes lifted.</p><p>"C-Classes?" Lotte piped. "Y-You're gonna come back to classes on Monday, Akko?"</p><p>"You're not gonna quit?" Sucy realized too late that she probably shouldn't have put the idea back into her head.</p><p>But Akko met each of their gazes calmly, albeit a little sadly.</p><p>"No. You guys are right. I can't quit just because of something like this. This shouldn't affect my dream of becoming an awesome witch like Chariot! I gotta get back to classes and learn more about magic so I can become like her!"</p><p>Her familiar, fired-up speech was refreshing to hear, especially when all they'd heard from her for a week were tired, unresponsive mumbles. They were relieved Akko was finally starting to bounce back.</p><p>"Thank goodness!" Lotte sighed. "We're so glad to hear that, Akko. And don't worry. Sucy and I will help you however we can."</p><p>Sucy gave a grunt of affirmation.</p><p>Akko clasped her hands together and let out a long sigh.</p><p>"Thanks, you guys. You're the best friends a witch could ever have!"</p><p>At last, she flopped back down onto her bed and burrowed beneath the blankets. Her voice and movements were wonderfully, drastically different and more expressive now than they had been for the past week.</p><p>Briefly, Lotte and Sucy shared another glance. It was clear they were both wondering if they should contact Diana somehow and let her knew Akko was feeling better.</p><p>But at the same time, they mutually decided not to interfere with the white-haired witch's plans, especially since she was going to work hard to try and make up with Akko.</p><p>So they just pretended they were none the wiser.</p><p>Lotte blew out all of the candles in the room with a one-word spell, and they all laid down for bed.</p><p>Hopefully, tomorrow Diana would apologize to Akko as she'd said she would, and everything would go back to normal.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Diana had toiled the entire day away with her plan.</p><p>Typically, she spent her Saturdays completing all of her weekend homework all at once.</p><p>But today, she hadn't so much as touched a single assignment.</p><p>She'd told Hannah and Barbara she'd be working alone in the library, though to their knowledge, she was simply doing her schoolwork.</p><p>However, Diana had been working on something entirely different.</p><p>She'd sat all day at the very same table Akko had found her at before to return her notes. Diana had surrounded herself with a few thick books in order to give off the appearance that she was studying to any passerby.</p><p>But in reality, she'd been working on her apology to Akko, all day long.</p><p>When she'd finished, she'd gotten to work in setting things up.</p><p>It was late in the evening by the time she exited the library. Had Diana not been granted special sentry privileges by the Academy, she would've been horrified to be out past curfew.</p><p>But as things were, she was allowed to be out later than most students, patrolling the hallways and campus for signs of anything unusual.</p><p>As such, she killed two birds with one stone.</p><p>As she made her way around the now-quiet Academy, she also set things up for Akko in the process.</p><p>That had taken her a good amount of time as well.</p><p>By the time she finally got to Akko's dorm room, it was late at night. The lights in the hallway had been dimmed, so she needed to light the lantern on the tip of her broomstick in order to see better by.</p><p>She was quiet as she approached the door, then paused a few feet shy of it. She reached into the pocket of her robes and extracted a simple envelope which she'd handwritten Akko's name on.</p><p>Diana enchanted the paper, then guided it with her wand.</p><p>Confident everyone inside was asleep, she slipped the envelope beneath Akko's door. Once it was out of her sight, Diana had to remember the layout of the room well enough to be able to land the envelope on the cluttered desk.</p><p>After it was done, she put her hand to her chest and sighed. Her skin was tingling with excitement and nervousness at the same time.</p><p>She had to wonder if this had been how Akko had felt before she'd confessed to her last week.</p><p>Diana quickly shook herself off and composed herself.</p><p>
  <em>I've done what I said I would do. Now I've got to get some sleep.</em>
</p><p>With a flutter of her robes and hat, Diana turned away and headed down the hall to her own room.</p><p>She knew for a fact that tomorrow would be a very trying day.</p><p>But hopefully, it would be worth the trouble.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: So Akko is finally feeling better! But Diana doesn't know that. What's her plan? Certainly when someone like Diana Cavendish puts so much time and effort into something, it's going to be grand, right?</p><p>Please leave comments or kudos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A New Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How will the refined Miss Cavendish apologize? Will Akko accept?</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 5. A New Magic</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Bee-bee-bee-beep! Bee-bee-bee-beep! Bee-bee-bee-beep!</em>
</p><p>"Uuuuhhh make it stooooooopp..."</p><p>After Akko's croak of a voice worked its way out of her throat, it was followed by a series of unsuccessful slaps as she tried to hit her clock. Lotte stretched out her arms and retrieved her glasses as Sucy uncurled herself from a cocoon of blankets.</p><p>It almost felt like that entire week without Akko's enthusiasm and antics had never happened at all. But having lived for so long without it was what allowed them to appreciate it once again now.</p><p>Lotte peered down over the side of her bunk bed to find Akko's arm flailing about on the table. With a giggle, she cast a small, silent spell that moved the clock so it was just underneath Akko's palm. At last, the alarm was silenced, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.</p><p>Normally, they might all sleep in some more on a Sunday. But today, Lotte and Sucy were too intrigued about Diana's plan to go back to sleep.</p><p>They couldn't discuss things with one another while Akko was present. However, their roommate soon shot up from her bed and scrambled out, half-falling onto the floor as she untangled herself from the sheets.</p><p>"B-Bathroooom!" Yelping as much, she darted across the room and slammed the bathroom door behind herself.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy didn't waste any time.</p><p>"So?" Lotte whispered down to her. "What should we do with her today? Should we bring her out into the school?"</p><p>Sucy only shrugged.</p><p>"Dunno. Did Diana say if her plan would require that?"</p><p>"I don't think so... but I can't really remember..."</p><p>"Me neither."</p><p>"Geez, Sucy, of all the things you've recorded, you didn't record something important like that conversation?"</p><p>"Didn't think I'd have to."</p><p>Just then, the bathroom door opened again, and the two of them cut off their conversation as Akko stepped out.</p><p>"Ahhh man. Now I'm too awake to get back into bed..."</p><p>"Then don't!" Lotte jumped at the chance to keep Akko on her feet. "Let's just get dressed and head to breakfast."</p><p>"Think you wanna go out today?" Sucy checked.</p><p>Akko pondered it for a moment. The others could see a faint flash of reluctance in her eyes, but she didn't let it linger.</p><p>"Yeah," Akko decided. "I'll go."</p><p>Lotte and Sucy both smiled.</p><p>"That's great!"</p><p>"It'd be good to start off slow on a weekend," Sucy reasoned. "That way you can work your way up to going back to classes tomorrow. Baby steps."</p><p>Akko gave a nod.</p><p>"Yeah! That sounds good!" She was obviously enthusiastic about finally getting out of her dorm room after having cooped herself up for so long in isolation.</p><p>Her friends were just as excited about it.</p><p>So they made quick work of freshening up and changing into their uniforms. They technically didn't have to wear their robes today since it was a weekend, but Akko had gone all week without wearing hers, and she missed it now. Therefore, Lotte and Sucy opted to wear theirs in order to match her.</p><p>When they were all ready Lotte got the door for them. They flanked Akko and slowly made their way outside into the hallway.</p><p>Akko trembled a little, and clung to each of them for support. Part of her felt like people might just appear out of nowhere and start tossing jeering comments at her.</p><p>But nothing like that happened.</p><p>So they began making their way to the mess hall, trying to act as normally as possible - as though the girl the entire Academy had been gossiping about for a week wasn't making a surprise appearance.</p><p>It wasn't long before other witches began passing them by in the hallways. Most of them needed to do a double-take to ensure they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing.</p><p>Akko tried her best to be her normal self, giving timid little waves and sheepish chuckles. Lotte and Sucy just hoped everyone else would play along and not make a huge deal about things.</p><p>By some stroke of luck, everyone seemed to understand. People greeted them normally, offering surprised but excited smiles, though they kept their voices controlled.</p><p>They didn't ask Akko what had happened, nor did they say anything mean that might potentially upset her. All anyone said was "good morning", or other casual, normal things.</p><p>It was almost strange how everyone was... <em>behaving</em>.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy brought Akko up to order their breakfast, then headed back to a table to sit and eat. Akko dug right into her food without hesitation, proclaiming she needed to eat right and keep up her strength if she was going to become like Chariot.</p><p>Meanwhile, her teammates mumbled more quietly together from across the table.</p><p>"What's going on?" Lotte wondered. "Everyone seems to be acting so normal. I thought for sure they'd be asking her where she's been and mentioning Diana."</p><p>"Who knows."</p><p>But no sooner had they finished asking questions than their answer arrived.</p><p>A familiar trio of witches made their way over to the table; they recognized Amanda and her team right away.</p><p>"Hey, Akko!" The ginger-haired witch gave her friend a hearty pat on the head, one that caused Akko to drop her spoonful of cereal. But when she looked back, her eyes lit up.</p><p>"Amanda!"</p><p>"Good to see ya out and about!"</p><p>"Yeah! I've gotta eat well so I can-"</p><p>"Become just like Chariot. Right, we heard ya. Well, keep at it!" Amanda offered Akko her fist, and Akko gave an enthusiastic bump. Perhaps it was a little too enthusiastic, because her knuckles turned bright red and she had to flap her hand about to wave off the sting.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy watched as Amanda and her friends made their way to the other side of the table. Amanda paused between them and bent down to talk to them privately.</p><p>"Huh, so did you guys like, get in cahoots with Diana or something?"</p><p>"Huh?" Lotte tilted her head. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"I thought we weren't supposed to tell anyone about that," Sucy mumbled.</p><p>"Oh, no, she didn't say for sure," Amanda shrugged. "I just had to assume since you guys brought Akko here conveniently right after Diana finished giving her speech."</p><p>"Speech?" Lotte repeated.</p><p>Amanda nodded.</p><p>"Yeah. She came in here and got everyone's attention with this speech. She told everyone to behave and act like proper witches when they next saw Akko. Well, actually, she didn't even specifically mention Akko's name. She just started talking ambiguously about how we should act like mature adults, even if something childish happened. She didn't have to say Akko's name in order for everyone to know what she was talkin' about. We could all assume that pretty easily."</p><p>Amanda paused as Lotte and Sucy took in the information.</p><p>"So, Diana was here?" Lotte asked. "Where is she now?"</p><p>"Dunno. Once she'd finished talking, she left. She was serious enough that everyone could interpret what she'd meant. It's like she subtly promised that if anyone caused problems or said anything mean to Akko, Diana would personally have their heads.</p><p>"I just assumed you guys must've been planning something with her. After all, she gives a speech like that in front of everyone, and then you guys just so happen to bring Akko out here? Seemed way too convenient."</p><p>Lotte met Sucy's gaze again and shrugged, silently telling her to keep quiet about their pact with Diana.</p><p>"We didn't know she'd be doing that," Lotte said honestly.</p><p>"Yeah," Sucy agreed. "We were just trying to get Akko outta bed and it worked this time."</p><p>"Huh..." Amanda put a hand to her chin for a second, then shrugged things off with a grin. "Well, doesn't matter. The most important thing is that Akko's back, and thanks to Diana's little speech earlier, no one's gonna bother her! Good work on gettin' her back out here, you guys!"</p><p>She patted each of them on the shoulder once before returning to her team. "See ya around!" With that, Amanda and her team took their leave.</p><p>Lotte and Sucy were left to mumble together again.</p><p>"So Diana came here and warned everyone to be nice to Akko?" Lotte clarified. "Was that her plan?"</p><p>"Could've been." Sucy considered it for a moment. "But something tells me if it was Diana, there's gotta be something else to it."</p><p>"I think you're right..." Lotte whispered. "But <em>what</em> else? How are we supposed to know what to do if she didn't tell us? Are we supposed to find Diana and bring Akko to her so she can apologize?"</p><p>Sucy only shrugged again, just as lost as Lotte was.</p><p>But by that time, Akko had finished eating, so they had to cut off their private talk once again.</p><p>"Ahhh, that really hit the spot! You guys ready?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah!" Lotte stood up promptly and picked up her tray. She and Sucy had only eaten a bit, but they weren't too hungry anyway.</p><p>They just wanted to know what Diana's plan was. But she wasn't here for them to ask about it now.</p><p>So they could only throw away their garbage and return to their dorm room.</p><p>There, Lotte and Sucy set to work in helping Akko get caught up on all the lessons and lectures she'd missed out on.</p><p>They went over all the notes, and Akko diligently took them all down herself, writing every word by hand in her own notebook so she'd retain the information better.</p><p>They helped her practice a few of the smaller incantations and spells. She practiced until she got them right and was certain she'd be able to surprise and impress the professors tomorrow.</p><p>They went over every assignment and spell she'd missed, and helped her study for a quiz that would be given tomorrow.</p><p>They studied long and hard together, only stopping briefly to have a snack or stretch out a bit.</p><p>They worked well into the afternoon, but still, there were no signs of Diana. Lotte and Sucy just assumed her way of apologizing to Akko had simply been to warn the rest of the school to be nice to her without taking credit for doing so.</p><p>Presently, Lotte was sitting on the floor with Akko helping her with a small spell. Sucy was at her desk, fumbling with a potion mixture.</p><p>"All right," Lotte said, sidling up closer to Akko. "Remember, this is a spell that allows you to manipulate every object of the same material as the one you're holding within a confined space. Try it with this." She handed Akko a slip of notebook paper. "Let's start out with something light and easy. Just repeat the spell I told you."</p><p>Akko nodded determinedly.</p><p>"Uh, let's see... Leva... Perpa... Tah-te!"</p><p>The limp paper in her palm suddenly shuddered.</p><p>"Good!" Lotte praised her. "Now pretend you're blowing a bubble. Breathe the motion into it!"</p><p>Akko did as instructed and gave a light, exhale onto the slip of paper. It lifted up into the air, and suddenly every piece of paper in the room was doing the same. Notebooks, reading books, and looseleaf pieces began levitating. When Akko moved the enchanted piece, the others followed exactly.</p><p>"Whooooa!" she gasped. "This is such a cool spell!"</p><p>"Just be careful," Lotte warned. "It might only be paper, but it can still leave a huge-"</p><p>"Ah... Ahh... -<em>choo!</em>"</p><p>Akko's sudden sneeze hit the lead paper directly.</p><p>In an instant, every book and piece of paper in their dorm room spiraled out of control. As the spell broke, a sea of papers came fluttering down on the three girls in a white flurry of rectangles.</p><p>"-mess..." Lotte finished.</p><p>Akko sniffled, then gave her trademark sheepish chuckle.</p><p>"Oopsie~"</p><p>"It's fine. You almost had it. Let me cast a re-order spell."</p><p>Akko sat back as Lotte prepared to tidy things up. But then, something out of place caught her eye.</p><p>"H-Hold on!"</p><p>Akko scrambled forward and dove beneath a pile of papers to grab it. When she sat back to inspect it, she realized it was a sealed envelope.</p><p>Titling her head curiously, she looked over one side of it, but it was blank.</p><p>"Su, is this yours? I think it came from your desk."</p><p>Sucy leaned over to glimpse the envelope, but shook her head.</p><p>"Not mine."</p><p>"Hmm..." Akko flipped the envelope over, then let out a yelp of surprise. On the other side, written in blue ink and very neat and fancy calligraphy, was her own name. "W-Whaaat? It's for<em> me?</em> W-When did I ever get a letter? And why was it on Su's desk?"</p><p>While she was asking herself all of these questions, Lotte and Sucy perked up and looked at one another. They knew what this was.</p><p>"Y-You should open it!" Lotte said hastily. "What if it's something important?"</p><p>"Y-Yeah! You're right!"</p><p>Swiftly, Akko pulled open the envelope flap.</p><p>The stationary inside was simple, but elegant, clean white paper without so much as a wrinkle on it, bordered by intricate streaks of blue, almost like vines.</p><p>But even more elegant than the paper itself were the words written there, in the neatest handwriting Akko had ever seen.</p><p>She recognized this handwriting, and this blue ink. She'd read it before on a certain page of notes she'd borrowed.</p><p>Her stomach flipped a little, and she bit her lip, not sure if she was feeling up to reading something from Diana.</p><p>But her eyes were already passing over the words before she could stop herself:</p><p>
  <em>"To Akko:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It appears I've inadvertently crossed a line with what happened last week. Make no mistake, it was never my intention to upset you to such a degree. I offer my sincerest apologies for any and all distress this incident has caused you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As such, I would like to make things right in my own way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So if you'd please, once you've read this letter, proceed to the gymnasium. The broom relay courts are quiet, but they've got something to say.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sincerely, Diana."</em>
</p><p>She needed to re-read it several times.</p><p>Akko couldn't believe it was real, but a pinch to her own cheek confirmed she definitely wasn't dreaming. She could feel the paper in her hands, and she could feel the strange bubbling in her chest. She thought it was just a ton of nervousness piling up on itself.</p><p>But after a moment, she realized it wasn't that at all.</p><p>It was... excitement.</p><p>Diana was... trying to mend things between them.</p><p>Until now, Akko had either seen or spoken to everyone else in the Luna Nova except for her.</p><p>She thought she might be reluctant or scared to see Diana again after what had happened. But on the contrary, she was full of excitement now, along with the hope that they could turn things back to normal.</p><p>
  <em>It's okay if she doesn't like me that way. I just don't want her to hate me. And I don't want her to think I hate her, either.</em>
</p><p>"Well?" Sucy's voice suddenly yanked Akko back into reality.</p><p>"Duwaaah!" With a shriek, she jolted and fell backward into a pile of papers, still clutching Diana's letter to her chest. Dumbfounded and frazzled, she stared up at her friends.</p><p>"Diana..."</p><p>Lotte and Sucy looked to one another, then back to Akko.</p><p>"W-What about her, Akko?"</p><p>The brunette shot right back up again and held the letter out to Lotte.</p><p>"<em>She's</em> the one who wrote this! She wrote it for <em>me! </em>And it's not a prank! It's not a dream, either!"</p><p>"Oh!" Lotte smiled. "Did Diana apologize about what happened?"</p><p>"It was all a big misunderstanding, after all," Sucy said.</p><p>"Yeah! I mean... I think she apologized, in her own Diana-like way. B-But it says I have to go to the gym!"</p><p>"The gym?" Lotte repeated.</p><p>"Sounds like a wild goose chase," Sucy muttered. "But I guess that's right up your alley."</p><p>"I... I gotta go!"</p><p>Akko leapt to her feet and carefully folded the letter before slipping it back into the envelope. She put that into her pocket, then whipped around to head for the door. She paused, thinking over the contents of the letter and making the connection to Sucy's words.</p><p>"You're right... It was all just a big misunderstanding. She never meant to hurt my feelings..."</p><p>Her roommates were relieved she understood that much now. It was a huge step in the right direction for everyone.</p><p>Akko reached out to grab the door handle and pushed.</p><p>"I gotta go find Diana. I gotta talk to her!"</p><p>She turned back to face her friends, who were still covered in paper. Lotte and Sucy both sent her off with smiles.</p><p>"Go, Akko!"</p><p>"You can do it."</p><p>Akko reflected their smiles and gave them a thumbs-up.</p><p>"Yeah! I'll be back soon, you guys!"</p><p>And with that, she turned and took off down the hall.</p><p>She couldn't remember the last time she'd run so fast. Her heart was pounding, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.</p><p>She wasn't nervous anymore. She was excited.</p><p>She was <em>excited!</em></p><p>
  <em>I can't believe I wasted all this time sulking! I could've tried to make up with Diana right away! If she's gone as far as to write me a letter, she must've been feeling awful about what happened, too.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I never thought about it that way, but Su's right. It was just a misunderstanding. Diana never meant to hurt my feelings. She was just defending her own.</em>
</p><p>She should've known better. After the conversation she'd had with Diana that night in the library, Akko felt she should've been able to see through all of this.</p><p>But again, she'd been too wrapped up in her own feelings that she'd failed to recognize the feelings of the people around her.</p><p>But hopefully, now was the time to make things right between Diana and herself.</p><p>Akko ran all the way to the gymnasium. It was a large place with very high ceilings. The students often practiced their flying skills here in broom racing or relay games, or would test their problem-solving skills with treasure hunts and things of that nature.</p><p>Being it was a Sunday, everything was quiet now. Akko slowed her pace to a walk as she caught her breath.</p><p>"Now... what was it she'd written? That cryptic message. As expected, of Diana..." She retrieved the letter from her pocket and read it over again. "Hmm...<em> 'The broom relay courts are quiet, but they've got something to say.' </em>Now what the heck is that supposed to mean?"</p><p>She looked around, expecting to see Diana somewhere nearby, but discovered she was alone here. "How can the courts have something to say if I'm the only one here?" she asked out loud.</p><p>Part of her wondered if the place had been enchanted to give her a verbal answer somehow, but that didn't happen. So she headed off to the broom relay courts, where the floor was painted to designate the borders and scoring lines for when they played indoors in bad weather.</p><p>She looked high above at the hoops where stunts could be performed and points could be scored, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary there.</p><p>But something did catch her eye down below.</p><p>There was something lying in the middle of the court.</p><p>Akko hurried over to see what it was. She knelt down to find a blue ribbon and belt buckle, one that undoubtedly belonged to a student of the Academy. But every team had a different colored ribbon, and there were only three people in the entire Academy with this particular shade of blue as theirs.</p><p>Cautiously, she reached out to pick up what was definitely Diana's ribbon. When she touched it, she found it was wrapped around another envelope. This one didn't have her name written on it, but Akko could easily assume it was meant for her.</p><p>She unwrapped the blue ribbon with care, but was unsure of what to do with it. She ultimately decided to just tie it around her waist alongside her own red one.</p><p>Once that was done, she opened the second envelope to read the much shorter letter inside:</p><p>
  <em>"Though I would certainly never go to the extents that you do, I must admit I've always been a bit envious of your skills in gym class. You may not be the quickest when it comes to treasure hunting, but you always manage to find some of the best rewards. Let's hope you'll enjoy what you find at the end of this one. Proceed to the auditorium, row 5, seat 99."</em>
</p><p>Akko was stunned yet again as she read over the fancy, swirly hand-writing.</p><p>"Is... Is this for real? D-Did Diana actually... <em>praise</em> me? I mean, I <em>think</em> she did, but she's so stuffy even in her writing that I can't really tell!"</p><p>But despite that, Akko couldn't stop her stomach from bubbling with a fresh wave of anticipation and excitement. Evidently, Diana had planned this elaborate little treasure hunt out just for her.</p><p>"I don't know what she's up to..." Akko folded the second letter and put it into her pocket beside the first one. "But I'm gonna get to the end of this!"</p><p>With that proud, eager declaration, she took off running once again, this time toward the auditorium. It was also empty, and she found the lighting was very dim as thousands of empty cushioned seats stared back at her.</p><p>Then, Akko was faced with her next little dilemma.</p><p>"Uhh... When she said "row 5", does that mean row 5 counting from the front or from the back of the room? Wait, they don't count them from side to side, do they? No, no, that's the seat number. Right? Seats go from side to side... But, do they start on the left side or the right? Uwaaaah, I don't know!"</p><p>She scampered to the rows of seats and started counting from the back forward first. Once she'd counted five rows, she began the much more arduous journey of counting each individual chair one by one.</p><p>This took her a great amount of time, because she kept counting or walking too quickly, or tripping over her own two feet, or any combination of these things. Either way, it kept resulting in her losing track of what number she'd been on, or which chair she'd been pointing at, and she was forced to start over multiple times.</p><p>Once, she got all the way to seventy-seven, but then failed to remember if she'd counted one chair twice or not, and as such, went back to chair one.</p><p>The ordeal left her panting and wheezing, but when she <em>finally</em> found what she believed to be the correct seat, Akko slumped heavily down into it.</p><p>"Okay... I'm here... N-Now what...?"</p><p>She looked up and all around as she caught her breath, but failed to see any more envelopes or clues. She waited for a moment, but nothing jumped out at her – figuratively or literally.</p><p>So she started thinking about a different angle.</p><p>"Okay, so either I'm in the wrong seat, or... Ah!" An idea sparked in her mind, and she quickly scrambled out of her seat and onto the floor. She turned around and reached beneath the seat. Sure enough, she felt a piece of paper tucked there.</p><p>"Got it!" She pulled the third envelope out with a triumphant cry, then opened it:</p><p>
  <em>"I am guessing you couldn't figure out where to begin counting from, correct? You do realize the chairs are labeled on the backs with their rows and seat number, don't you?</em>
</p><p>Akko paused in her reading for a moment.</p><p>"Hah?"</p><p>She quickly lifted herself up to peer down at the seats and squinted.</p><p>Of course, Diana was right. Each chair was marked with a tag containing little golden numbers. When Akko checked the one she'd been sitting at, she found the numbers, "5 – 99".</p><p>"Ooohh... guess that makes sense..."</p><p>She returned to reading the letter, and it was as though she were talking to Diana directly:</p><p>
  <em>"You just checked the seat number, didn't you? If you've managed to find this letter, then that means you've found the right seat, Akko. You don't have to check."</em>
</p><p>"Oh..." she mumbled. "Right."</p><p>Finally, she got to the next part of the letter:</p><p>
  <em>"In any case, I commend you on getting this far. </em>
  <em>I decided to bring you to the auditorium because it is a place of character and personality. Yours have always been brilliant and exuberant. Though I must admit that sometimes your excessive positivity can be exhausting, I cannot blame you for always trying to see the better side of things.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"As such, hearing that you've been unwell for this past week has been a great disheartenment to everyone. Being it was my fault you ended up that way, please proceed to the cafeteria. And maybe try the salad for once?"</em>
</p><p>Akko's shoulders slumped just a little bit as she read the letter over. Diana had confirmed her fears, that she'd been blaming herself all this time about what had happened.</p><p>"It wasn't your fault," she sighed. "It wasn't anyone's. I should apologize, too..."</p><p>With this goal in mind, she took the third letter with her and hurried off to the cafeteria.</p><p>There, she went to the salad bar, counting her lucky stars that it was after hours now and not many people were there to see her picking up every salad cup and checking it as though she were some kind of health inspector.</p><p>In the end, she found the envelope on the very last salad cup, all the way in the back.</p><p>
  <em>"If anyone else has picked this up, please disregard. If it is being read by the intended person (and I assure you, she knows who she is), then let us continue. If you recall the correct spell, you'll be able to read the rest."</em>
</p><p>There, the letter cut off. Puzzled, Akko turned it around and over, but didn't see any more words.</p><p>"W-What? C'mon that's no fair! Stupid Diana! You can't just bring me this far and then not finish the letter! Gimme the next hint! Where's the next location?"</p><p>Groaning, Akko slumped down against the food stand and sighed. "Well, at least I got this far..." Pouting, she re-read Diana's note again. "Geez, again with the cryptic messages. Why can't she just write it normally? "<em>If you recall the correct spell, you'll be able to read the rest..."</em> huh? Does that mean I have to cast a spell? Right now? B-But which one?"</p><p>She started raking her brain for every spell she knew. She immediately discarded the ones she couldn't entirely remember, and tried to focus on the ones that dealt with paper.</p><p>"Ahhh there was that one lecture... Professor Ursula taught us how to reveal hidden ink! That's gotta be what Diana means! B-But I can't remember the spell..." She made a fist and bumped it against her forehead. "Think, Atsuko, think! Paper, paper! Hnnnng... Ouh!"</p><p>With a gasp, she remembered the spell Lotte had just taught her earlier that day, the one about levitating paper specifically. Spells that dealt with similar elements or similar tactics always had something in common.</p><p>"Paper... the magic word we use for paper is Perpa! The words for ink are... Tenwa Per! A-And 'to reveal' is Seloc Sid! So then altogether..." She took in a deep breath and tried to create the spell on the spot. "Seloc Sid... Tenwa Per... Perpa!"</p><p>She drew her wand and brushed it over the blank section of Diana's letter. And miraculously, more words began appearing. Akko gave another excited shriek.</p><p>"I did it!" She jumped up and got to reading once again.</p><p>
  <em>"Hopefully you've managed to recall the ink-reveal spell. It amazes me how you fail to correctly cast the simplest of spells during class time, but when the school is being attacked by an Ancient Dragon, you're suddenly able to use the Shiny Arc. (I reiterate, I've only heard of it in-passing!)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Now then, your next hint is in the place where you first learned the spell to be able to read this far. Best of luck."</em>
</p><p>Akko found herself smiling as she read over Diana's letter. She could hear every single word in her head spoken in Diana's voice.</p><p>But she didn't have time to dwell on that. She needed to find her next hint.</p><p>"The place where I first learned the spell to read this far... Oouh! That one's easy! I learned it from Professor Ursula!"</p><p>She tucked the letter into her pocket, and off she went again, this time bound for the lecture halls and classrooms.</p><p>The process continued for a little over twenty more minutes. Akko would somehow manage to find her next hint, usually after having to answer some riddle or recall some specific bit of information via Diana's instructions.</p><p>She ended up going to many of their classrooms, and in each letter, Diana would recount a different instance when Akko had done something memorable or unique. She only ever mentioned good things, things that made Akko smile to remember.</p><p>Diana's writing was as stiff and proper as her physical appearance and voice were, but luckily for Akko, the letters were much easier to read. Figuratively and literally.</p><p>She went from room to room, unlocking hint after hint, saving each letter as she went. It got to the point where she needed to start storing them in both of her uniform's pockets because one was already full.</p><p>When she received a note hinting for her to go to the library, Akko felt the treasure hunt was coming to an end.</p><p>This time, she knew exactly where to look.</p><p>As soon as she got there, she slipped through the tall shelves packed with thousands of books on magical history and sorcery and spells, and headed directly for a specific study table.</p><p>"Where was it... I know it was somewhere around he- <em>Duwah!</em>" Right as she turned the corner, she found the intended table the hard way as it jutted out into her stomach. Just like the first time she'd come here to return Diana's notes to her, Akko crumpled to the floor with a whimper. "Geez... they really gotta move that thing..."</p><p>But before she could stand up again, she discovered this might have been part of the hunt. Her next envelope was taped on the underside of the table, and it was clearly visible to her from her current position on the floor.</p><p>"That Diana... she knew this would happen..."</p><p>Akko opened the envelope and started reading:</p><p>
  <em>"I knew this would happen. It is just like you to go wandering about, blindly focused on your goal, and then you fail to realize what is right in front of you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But that is just one more thing I happen to admire about you. You are incredibly determined, and you never allow</em>
  <em> anything stop you from achieving your goal. Hopefully this minor blunder won't stop you from retrieving one of your final clues."</em>
</p><p>Again, Akko felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest as she read over Diana's little compliments. Her way of apologizing was odd, but very personal, and even a little cute.</p><p>A new sense of excitement and determination flooded through Akko as she realized the hunt was almost at an end. She read on for her clue:</p><p>
  <em>"You were reliable enough to return my notes to me here. And I will take this opportunity to thank you once again for everything you said to me when we were last here together. It is astounding to me how you prove to be trustworthy enough to return my notes, but still cannot ride a broom on your own."</em>
</p><p>Rather than feel offended by the final comment, Akko actually chuckled. It was clear enough where she needed to go.</p><p>She packed away the letter and hurried off.</p><p>Students at Luna Nova typically carried their own wands wherever they went. There was a small attachment that, when hooked onto the tip of a wand, allowed it to transform into a small broom, no larger than one foot in length.</p><p>This smaller broom could be held in one hand, and was typically used for lighter, slower forms of transportation, just for a gradual, easy descent or ascent.</p><p>But each and every student here had their own full-sized broom as well, one tied with their team's colored ribbon. Those larger, mountable, more agile brooms were all typically stored in one place, one the students had rightfully and accurately labeled as the Broom Room.</p><p>That was Akko's newest destination, and she made quick, breathless work of getting there.</p><p>Like most of the other places she'd been led to today, it was empty and mostly dark. But also like the other locations she'd been led to, the note wasn't right out in the open for her.</p><p>The first one in the gym had been given to her easily just so she could get started, but now she'd have to continue hunting.</p><p>She walked slowly along the rows and rows of brooms. When they weren't in-use, the brooms on the bottom-most row simply leaned up against the wall. But all those above where suspended on hooks as high up as the ceiling. Akko had always wondered what it might be like to see all of these brooms enchanted and flying all at once.</p><p>She made her way towards her own broom. It hung a few feet off the ground in line with Lotte's and Sucy's. Beginners like Akko typically had their brooms lower down so they could physically grab and use them. More experienced witches could use their wands to retrieve their brooms from higher up. And the most skilled were able to call their brooms down with a simple spoken spell or wave of their hand.</p><p>But as she was now, Akko couldn't reach her own broom, and she couldn't remember the correct spell to cast in order to retrieve it with her wand.</p><p>"Ugh, come on! I can't give up here! I'm almost done!"</p><p>She jumped up to try and grab it, but to no avail.</p><p>However, from what she could tell, there was no envelope attached to her broom anywhere. That brought a new possibility into her mind.</p><p>"D...Don't tell me... it's on <em>Diana's</em>...?"</p><p>She craned her neck back and looked up as high as she could.</p><p>Everyone knew Diana came from a family of pureblood magic-wielders. As such, her broom held one of the highest perches, probably just below the professors themselves.</p><p>Akko couldn't even see that far up, let alone <em>get</em> there somehow.</p><p>"Aw no... No fair! You can't do this to me, Diana!"</p><p>But then, just as she called out her classmate's name, something strange happened.</p><p>The far doors shuddered and opened all on their own, leading outside into the courtyards. Akko jumped back and shrieked.</p><p>"Uwaaah! W-What's going on?! How did that happen?!"</p><p>But there was no one around to give her any answers. Therefore, she had to make an assumption.</p><p>"Is this... part of the hunt...?"</p><p>Swallowing thickly, Akko timidly began making her way toward the exit. She could feel the evening breeze slipping in, cool and refreshing in the stuffy air of this giant closet full of brooms. She tip-toed her way to the door, froze, and checked her surroundings again.</p><p>"Feels like I'm <em>being</em> hunted..." she mumbled.</p><p>But nothing and no one jumped out at her, so she proceeded to step outside.</p><p>The campus was still and quiet, all the grass and cobblestone paths shimmering silver in the moonlight.</p><p>But Akko didn't have much time to admire the scenery. Because her final clue soon caught her eye.</p><p>A single, very neat broom was levitating all on its own, about three feet off the ground. Someone had clearly enchanted it and ordered it to stay put.</p><p>A familiar blue ribbon decorated the end, one that matched the ribbon Akko had tied on herself earlier. Beneath that ribbon, tied to the broom itself was another envelope.</p><p>There was no mistake as to whose broom this was.</p><p>Curiously, and with fresh excitement pumping through her, Akko approached the broom and slipped the envelope free. She unfolded the paper and read over the last blue-inked letter of her hunt:</p><p>
  <em>"If you've managed to get this far, then well done. With your headstrong determination, it is no surprise that you've made it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There is one final location you will have to go to in order for all of this to bear fruit. It is the highest, most magical place on campus. Feel free to use what I've left for you. I'd prefer not to be kept waiting."</em>
</p><p>When she finally finished reading, Akko tucked the final letter away with the others.</p><p>"So I'm almost done. The last place I need to go is... the highest, most magical place...?"</p><p>Naturally, she tilted her head back to look up at the sky.</p><p>And she knew her destination right away.</p><p>The tallest tower on campus was a very familiar one. At the top, a certain stone emitted an ever-present green glow.</p><p>"The Sorcerer's Stone..." she mumbled. "Is... Is Diana up there waiting for me? B-But how am I supposed to get up there? What does she mean "use what I've left for you?" What does that- <em>Gyaaaah!</em>"</p><p>She shrieked and jumped as Diana's broom suddenly moved on its own, bumping its handle into her leg. Akko blinked.</p><p>"Oh! She means I can use her broom!"</p><p>Proud of herself for having figured that much out, Akko approached the mount that was still levitating all on its own.</p><p>"Uuu... but I'm no good at riding. Everyone knows that, especially Diana..."</p><p>Carefully, she gripped the handle with both hands, then swung one leg over. She was preparing herself to try and fly solo without damaging Diana's pristine broom.</p><p>But to her surprise, the broom began lifting all on its own, without Akko needing to say the command. She cried out again and clung to it desperately.</p><p>"W-Waaah! W-What's happening?! I-I'm not flying it, am I? I haven't even done anything yet!"</p><p>Diana's broom continued lifting her up, until she could see almost the entire campus from her perch. It took her towards the tower, and then began a gradual ascent to the top. Akko finally understood.</p><p>"Oooh! Diana must have enchanted it so it'd take me here all on its own!"</p><p>That was a bit of a relief. After all the running around she'd done this evening, Akko could certainly use a brief break. And it was nice to be able to catch her breath a little, since she knew what came next would probably be a little stressful.</p><p>So for as long as it lasted, she enjoyed the effortless broom ride up to the top of the tower. It had since been magically repaired after the Dragon had been defeated.</p><p>She climbed up level by level, and Akko had to take a moment to admire the slow, casual speed of the ride, silently thanking Diana for not casting it at a dizzying pace.</p><p>At last, she made it to the top, where everything was enveloped in a bright green glow. The broom took her in through the open arches and came to a halt inside, right beneath the Stone. As she dismounted, Akko marveled at its beauty, the dazzling, magical glow seemingly drawing her in...</p><p>She was so fixated on the Stone that she failed to notice the figure of another person emerging from the shadows.</p><p>"Well done."</p><p>"Huwaaah!"</p><p>Akko grabbed the broom and lifted it up in front of herself in a defensive stance, shrinking away. But when the other person stepped out into the green light, and Akko took a second to look her over, she straightened up again.</p><p>"D-Diana!"</p><p>"Why is it you sound so surprised?" She quirked an eyebrow, genuinely curious, with her hands on her hips. "Hadn't I left you sufficient hints? Didn't you assume you'd be seeing me at the end of all this?"</p><p>"W-Well yeah! Kinda..." Akko mumbled. "But I'm just confused about how you got up here! If I have your broom-"</p><p>"Can you not think of <em>any</em> alternative routes to get up here?"</p><p>Akko paused for a moment and put a hand to her chin to think. When she understood, she all but yelped.</p><p>"N-No way! D-Did you actually <em>climb</em> all the stairs to get up here?! Aren't there, like, a million of them?!"</p><p>"One-thousand, three-hundred and sixty-eight," she corrected. "But yes. In the hopes that you'd make it to the end and utilize my broom for yourself, I opted to use the stairs like some common person. Honestly, it is rather mortifying. I don't think a single witch in all of Luna Nova history has ever <em>walked </em>to the top of this tower before. Though I must say I am almost grateful you took so long to get here. At the very least it gave me some time to fix myself up a bit..."</p><p>Akko stared at her wide-eyed.</p><p>"Whoa! I think it's so neat that you climbed all those stairs on-foot!" she chirped. "No other witch can ever claim doing that, Diana! That's impressive!"</p><p>The green glow of light on Diana's skin made it hard to tell, but her cheeks seemed to darken in color for a second before she narrowed her eyes.</p><p>"N-Never mind that. It <em>did</em> take you a rather long time to get here. By my calculations, even if you encountered every possible setback while following those letters, you still should've gotten here about two hours ago." Here, Diana crossed her arms over her chest. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming in order to prove a point..."</p><p>Akko listened as attentively as she could up until that point, then tried to address everything in order.</p><p>"Ooooh well the only reason it took me so long was because I only found your first note a little while ago! It was stuffed with all of Sucy's papers so I didn't see it right away! But as soon as I did, I got started right away! I never expected something like that from <em>you</em>, Diana! A fun, crazy treasure hunt, specifically made and planned out for me! That's definitely the idea of a Chariot fan!"</p><p>"I-I am <em>not</em> a fan of hers!" Diana quipped. But a second later, she softened her expression and lowered her tone. "But I am glad you at least enjoyed partaking in it."</p><p>"Yeah! Definitely! It was a little confusing at times, but it made me think! It made me use some of the spells we'd learned in class, and it made me remember some of the fun times we had! If all the exams and tests in this school were like this, I'd pass them all with flying colors!" she declared, spreading her arms wide.</p><p>But then, she drew the broom back to her side, and was prepared to hide behind it with her next question. "Hey, Diana... why did you say you thought I might not come up here tonight...?"</p><p>Now that the more light-hearted conversation was over, both girls seemed to steel themselves for the real issue at-hand.</p><p>By some miracle, their conversation up until this point had been rather normal for them. It was as though they'd temporarily forgotten everything that happened last week and just gone back to normal for a few minutes without needing to think about it.</p><p>But they both knew what all of this was really about, and even though neither one of them really wanted to bring it up, it was unavoidably necessary now.</p><p>Diana kept her arms crossed tightly across her chest and heaved a sigh.</p><p>"You know very well what I meant," she replied tightly. "I had thought that... perhaps you might opt not to come tonight in order to communicate to me... that you refused to acknowledge my attempt at apology."</p><p>There was a pause, as though they were both trying to figure out whether she herself should say something next, or allow the other witch to talk.</p><p>Akko didn't know what to say, so she timidly stepped forward and offered her classmate her broom back. As Diana reached out to accept it, their fingers brushed for a split second.</p><p>Diana looked her broom over, seeming satisfied with its condition, then leaned it up against the nearest wall.</p><p>Akko then untied the blue ribbon from around her own waist and offered that as well. Diana accepted it with a nod, and their hands touched again during the transfer.</p><p>Once she'd put the ribbon back into place around her own waist, Diana decided she'd have to be the one to continue speaking.</p><p>"Akko. As you can safely assume, I planned all of this out for you today in hopes of meeting you here. My initial intentions were simply to apologize for what happened last week... but it has become clear to me that there is something else I've got to do as well."</p><p>Another pause, and the silence was tight.</p><p>This wasn't like Diana. She was always so confident in her speech. She never hesitated this much. The fact that she was stammering, pausing, and making mistakes told Akko something.</p><p>It told her that Diana hadn't <em>studied</em> this speech. She hadn't practiced it and gone over it in her head for a grade.</p><p>No, whatever she was saying now was coming from her heart.</p><p>Akko felt her lips forming a small smile, just for a second.</p><p>"But, Diana... you don't have to apologize for anything. It took me a while to realize it. Actually, it took me until today, when I read your first letter. But I realized that what happened last week really was just a big misunderstanding! I was being honest with my feelings, and so were you! You were just confused, but you never said anything mean to me! I just took it the wrong way, and then everyone else started to go along with it..."</p><p>She tapered off for a moment as the harsh memories came flooding back. But she shook them off and gave Diana a fierce, earnest look.</p><p>"But I realize now that you were never trying to hurt my feelings, Diana! So you don't have to apologize!"</p><p>Truth be told, Akko's declaration put Diana at a loss. She'd been planning on apologizing and recognizing what she'd done wrong – or at least, what she'd been <em>perceived</em> to have done wrong. She hadn't expected Akko to see through things like this, at least not so quickly.</p><p>Diana shook her head briefly.</p><p>"Manbavaran... and Yanson... did they talk to you about this? I told them-"</p><p>"Haah? What about Sucy and Lotte? W-W-Wait, d-don't tell me they <em>knew</em> about all of this?!"</p><p>"Not as much as you'd think," Diana sighed. "They confronted me on your behalf in an effort to look out for you. But they were the first to realize it had never been my intention to hurt you as I did."</p><p>Akko could imagine it as Diana described: Lotte and Sucy going out to talk to Diana in private and trying to defend Akko. She made a mental note to give them each a big hug when she got back to the room.</p><p>"B-But... you didn't <em>really</em> hurt me, Diana. That was just... I just took it the wrong way..." Akko's shoulders slumped, and she looked down at the floor.</p><p>"Perhaps you did," Diana acknowledged. "But then I should have sought you out and apologized sooner. I should never have allowed it to go on for this long. Everyone has been feeling horrible, even those who had initially laughed at you. When we heard the rumors that you might quit..."</p><p>She needed to stop again. The prospect of Akko leaving was so unpleasant it sent a physical pang through Diana's chest. She winced, took a breath, and continued.</p><p>"I'll be honest. It was... extremely awful. Everyone felt guilty. Everyone was upset. We all played a part in this, though some were bigger than others." She lifted her gaze back to Akko's. "But we could all agree on one thing; that it was no one's desire to see you leave. When we eventually realized what was at stake, everyone wanted to make things right again.</p><p>"Hence, that is why I had you come find me here tonight. Because you need to know how much of an impact you have on this Academy, and on the people here, Akko. The students and the professors favor your charm, they admire your enthusiasm and your heartfelt enjoyment of magic. You make things... entertaining. You make things interesting. You're... an inspiration to them – to <em>us</em>."</p><p>With that final correction, she let silence ensue for a moment.</p><p>Akko needed that moment to absorb everything she'd just heard.</p><p>
  <em>W-Wait... so everyone... likes me? Even the professors? Even though I mess up their spells and ruin their classrooms? Even though I can't even ride a broom properly? And the students, too? I... inspire them...?</em>
</p><p>She was still staring at Diana, completely dumbfounded. Akko had to reach up to her own cheek and pinch herself.</p><p>"Owwie!"</p><p>Diana blinked, perplexed.</p><p>"What was the meaning of that?"</p><p>"S-So I know I'm not dreaming..." As she straightened up again, Akko tried to take it all in. "Wow... is... is all of that really true, Diana?"</p><p>Her classmate gave a tiny shrug.</p><p>"You fool. Do you honestly think I would bring myself to tell you all of that if it were a lie?"</p><p>"Oh, right. Guess not..."</p><p>Diana sighed again.</p><p>"Do you <em>understand</em>, Akko?" she persisted. "Perhaps... we never proclaim as much – in fact, more often than not, we <em>deny</em> it. But understand that I am speaking on behalf of all of Luna Nova Academy when I say that you are... <em>unique</em> to us. Your vigor and enthusiasm light a spark in this stuffy, ancient school that has tried to take the recreation out of magic. We know firsthand now that, without you, we would undoubtedly sink into a chasm. Luna Nova needs you, Akko. We really do."</p><p>A bit of defiance worked its way into her tone as she became more serious now. "Therefore, you cannot quit, Akko. In spite of what happened last week, you cannot give up. Should you quit, then how do you ever plan to become like that Shiny Chariot?"</p><p>Her words delighted Akko to the point of grinning like an idiot on the spot. She couldn't help but take a step forward and give a little twirl.</p><p>"I'm not quitting, Diana! No way would I ever quit! Luna Nova is the best! The lectures and history lessons are kind of a drag, but it's important stuff! This is where Chariot studied to become a witch! I can't quit when I've only just started!"</p><p>Normally, her enthusiasm might have exhausted Diana in just listening to her babble. But this time, it relieved her more than anything.</p><p>"So you... do not intend to drop out?"</p><p>"Nope! Definitely not! I mean I'll admit I was really down in the dumps there for a while, so I was sad and tired and lazy and I might've said something like that," she shrugged.</p><p>"Exactly," Diana said. "And it is because of what happened last week that you felt that way. As such, I shall be taking responsibility for-"</p><p>"Hold up!" Akko threw both hands up in front of herself. "Diana, we've been through this! It wasn't your fault!"</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"No 'buts'!" Akko cut her off firmly to make sure she was listening. Then she lowered her voice as she went on. "Diana, do you think I don't know what you're trying to do? It's just like last time, with the Dragon. You're beating yourself up over something that wasn't really even your fault! You don't have to take all the blame for everything that goes wrong! Sometimes, it's someone else's fault, too! Or it's no one's fault at all!"</p><p>Akko took a step forward, but Diana took a step back.</p><p>"But I-"</p><p>"What did I say? No 'buts'!" Akko reached out and grabbed Diana's hands, preventing her from recoiling any more. She got close to bore her gaze directly into her classmate's. "You don't have to keep blaming yourself for everything, Diana! I know you're not the bad guy here. So you don't have to act like one, okay?"</p><p>It was happening again. Diana could feel a stinging sensation behind her eyes. It was just like what had happened between them at the library...</p><p>"Akko..."</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"My... my apologies..."</p><p>"Geez, you don't have to say that!"</p><p>Akko knew it might not have been the right thing to do, but she couldn't help it. She pulled Diana into another hug.</p><p>It felt like Diana was the kind of person who might appreciate being able to hide and not be seen when she was crying.</p><p>Even though Akko did still have feelings for her, it wasn't bothering her anymore. She could be more than fine with just being this way with Diana. Being friends, if only when they were alone.</p><p>She felt Diana return the embrace. Unlike last time, she actually decided on one spot and hugged Akko in return. She wasn't crying a lot, but it was enough to tell Akko she should give Diana a minute to compose herself.</p><p>"And besides," she went on. "I should be the one apologizing to you, Diana."</p><p>"Eh...?" Diana wiped her sleeve over her eyes and moved back just a little so she might find Akko's eyes. "Why should you-?"</p><p>"Because I... sort of broke my promise... I said I wouldn't tell anyone I saw you crying that night in the library, but I ended up telling Lotte and Sucy about it." She shuffled her boots.</p><p>"A-And I also... y'know, what happened last week... I took it the wrong way because I was making assumptions about you. I thought you were just trying to be mean to me again. I thought you were trying to maintain some reputation or something..."</p><p>By now, Akko was starting to sniffle as well, and she hid her face in Diana's shoulder. "Basically... I judged your actions without ever really considering how <em>you</em> might have been feeling in all of this. So... I'm sorry too, Diana. I h-hope we can... still be friends...?"</p><p>She heard Diana give a small, but sharp gasp, and her grip on Akko's back tightened a little bit.</p><p>"Akko..." Her voice was so thin, so tired. She was tired of all these misunderstandings, of accidentally hurting each other, and of being hurt. "Do you... truthfully still... after everything that's happened, you'd still want to be...?"</p><p>"Friends?" Akko repeated. "Of course I do! I know you're not a bad person, Diana! You're actually really nice! You work hard and you take things seriously. You're a model student and an amazing witch!"</p><p>"I could say the same about you," Diana countered. "You are just as serious as I am, though you express it differently. You... you have fun with magic. You are trying your best in your own way."</p><p>Akko smiled.</p><p>"See? We make a good team, don't we? So why <em>shouldn't</em> we be friends?"</p><p>Diana didn't answer her with words. But the way she started crying again and hugged Akko even tighter was answer enough.</p><p>Akko cried too, but there was a smile on her face all the while. It felt good to finally have everything out in the open. Or, almost everything.</p><p>As the minutes passed by, she remembered something, a small detail Diana had mentioned earlier. Therefore, once they'd both calmed down enough and pulled away, Akko decided to ask her about it.</p><p>"Say, Diana? You said there were a few things you wanted to do here, right? One of them was apologizing to me, and you've already done that. So what was the other thing?"</p><p>Diana wiped her eyes again, shaking her head.</p><p>"You... fool. Have you really not figured it out yet...?"</p><p>"Huh? Figured what out?"</p><p>"Honestly... making me say it out loud..." Diana drew in a deep breath, running a hand back through her hair. "Akko, think for a moment now, would you? You read those letters, did you not? Did I not say it clearly enough there?"</p><p>"Haaah? What are you talking about? The letters just told me how to get here! What else was in them? Did I miss something?"</p><p>"Obviously..." she huffed, looking away.</p><p>Akko thought her cheeks looked a bit darker again. But she couldn't be sure, because Diana turned her face away again.</p><p>"Yes, the letters told you how to get here. But didn't they tell you anything <em>else?</em>"</p><p>Again, Akko needed to think for a moment. She hummed to herself as she tried to recall the contents of the letters, but she still couldn't figure out what Diana was getting at.</p><p>"H-Hold on," she said, reaching for her stuffed pockets. "Maybe I should re-read-"</p><p>"'<em>Though I would certainly never go to the extents that you do, I must admit I've always been a bit envious of your skills in gym class.' </em>That was part of the first letter, was it not?"</p><p>Akko scrambled to pull out all the papers and noisily sifted through them until she'd found the first one and read it over.</p><p>"Y-Yeah!"</p><p>Diana nodded, then continued.</p><p><em>"'I decided to bring you to the auditorium because it is a place of character and personality. Yours have always been </em><em>brilliant and exuberant</em><em>.'</em> Correct?"</p><p>Akko checked the next letter, the nodded in affirmation.</p><p>"<em>'It amazes me how you fail to correctly cast the simplest of spells during class time, but when the school is being attacked by an Ancient Dragon, you are suddenly able to use the Shiny Arc.'</em>"</p><p>Akko nodded again.</p><p>"<em>'It is just like you to go wandering about, blindly focused on your goal, and then you fail to realize what is right in front of you. But that is just one more thing I happen to admire about you. You are incredibly determined, and you never let anything stop you from achieving your goal.'</em>"</p><p>With each new statement Diana recited, Akko felt she was beginning to understand more and more of what she was getting at.</p><p>By the time Diana finished listing off all her written compliments, Akko couldn't wipe the smile off her face.</p><p>On the contrary, Diana had her eyes closed and arms folded, once again giving off an indifferent impression.</p><p>"I would've thought you might have <em>at least</em> been able to decipher the hidden meaning in those letters. Clearly, I over-estimated your ability to read between the lines. That is a figure of speech, by the way. There is nothing actually written between any of the lines.</p><p>"Regardless, I had hoped you would be able to understand what all of those things meant. I'll be honest, but I... hadn't even realized it myself. Not until you'd addressed it first. How I've come to... admire many of your skills. How I keep an eye on you, even when it may not be necessary. How I- eh?"</p><p>She was forced to cut off when she opened her eyes, only to find Akko lunging at her with her arms outstretched.</p><p>"Whoooaaaa!"</p><p>"A-Akko-!"</p><p>But it was too late. What had clearly just been meant to be an exuberant hug suddenly went awry when Akko quite literally stumbled into a usual bout clumsiness. She tripped over her own two feet and crashed into and onto Diana. The impact of the surprise hug was enough to bring them both to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Diana's breath flew from her chest as Akko excitedly pushed herself up to look down at her.</p><p>"D-Diana! W-wwhwhwwaaaaah! No way, no waaay! Diana, a-are you... confessing?!"</p><p>"W-What?!" Despite her breathlessness, Diana forced her lungs to work. Her face turned unmistakably red that time, even with the faint cast of green light from the Stone. Pinned beneath Akko as she was, she could only bring herself to wheeze out an unconvincing response. "O-Of course not! I-I was merely-"</p><p>"Because I've always liked you too!"</p><p>"...Eh?"</p><p>"Yeah! I mean, that's why I confessed to you last week, right? That's what brought us here in the first place!"</p><p>Diana stared up at her with a mixture of shock and confusion in her eyes. Akko finally seemed to take note of their positions and hastily scrambled off of her classmate, then grabbed Diana's wrists to help her sit up.</p><p>The letters had flown out of her hands and now lie scattered around them both, the written forms of Diana's confession now encircling the attempt at a verbal one.</p><p>"I... you-"</p><p>"Yeah!" Akko squealed. But she consciously caught herself this time. She was being too hyper, too excited. She didn't want to make light of this.</p><p>So she took in a deep breath, and kept ahold of Diana's wrists in her lap as the white-haired witch caught her breath as well.</p><p>For a moment, there was only silence as their faces became redder and redder beneath the glow of the Stone and the moonlight.</p><p>Diana had half a mind to pull her hands out of Akko's grip, but she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to say any more on the current topic. But thankfully, Akko was able to compose herself enough to do so.</p><p>"Diana."</p><p>Her voice was different this time. It was clear that she was taking this much more seriously. Diana straightened her posture and met her eyes with equally nervous, but determined ones. She gave a nod to indicate she was listening, and Akko bumbled onward.</p><p>"I... Like I said before... I-I mean I think I've always kind of liked you... It was weird at first, because I always thought you were so mean. But I could never hate you or resent you or anything like that. I never wanted to. I'd always been kinda drawn to you for some reason, but I couldn't figure out why."</p><p>She took a small break and tried to think about what she wanted to say next. Diana gave her a bit more time and took the liberty of speaking upon herself.</p><p>"It is the same for me, Akko. I could never understand why I was... so inclined to target you. There are plenty of other greenhorns who could've piqued my interest, but it was you."</p><p>"But now, I'm glad for that!" Akko beamed. "I'm glad we got to work together to fight the Dragon. And I'm sure glad you saved my life and didn't let me fall to my death and become a puddle! I guess that's just one of the times you were keeping an eye on me like you'd said, huh?"</p><p>Diana dipped her head.</p><p>"I admit that I... did pay particular attention to you, especially on that day..."</p><p>"And then you arranged a different kind of treasure hunt for me today! I'm so lucky you ended up being a fan of Chariot's too!"</p><p>"I-I am not-"</p><p>"Because this was so much fun, Diana!" Akko gushed. "Even though last week was really rough. Even though I was feeling sad... As soon as I saw that first letter from you, everything changed! I felt better right away, and I couldn't wait to see you again. I guess a part of me expected you might be willing to make up with me, and even if you weren't, I sure was. I'm glad we did."</p><p>"...As am I."</p><p>"And that time in the library... I got to see another side of you that no one else got to see. It kinda felt like I was getting a special privilege or something. Which I never get. Anywhere."</p><p>"...Indeed. I would never have shown such a side of myself to anyone else," Diana admitted. "Everyone else here... they would judge me. After all, I am the daughter of a very distinguished family of magic-users. I cannot afford to show such an unbecoming side of myself to anyone else."</p><p>Her eyes had become stern, but they softened again now. "But with you... it was different. I didn't have to worry about my prestige. I didn't have to save face, because I knew you would never judge me like anyone else might. You are very kind, Akko."</p><p>Akko was trying to appreciate what Diana was saying for all it was worth. The fact that Diana had only felt comfortable showing weakness in front of <em>her</em> and no one else - not even her own teammates. Akko's smile never faded, nor did her blush.</p><p>"So... m-maybe it's not something super serious," she concluded. "But we both seem to kinda... l-like each other. A-At least to some degree, right?</p><p>"I mean we've always kinda been secretly admiring each other, even though we never really showed it in front of other people. We were drawn to each other because opposites attract, right? O-Or something like that. A-And maybe now we don't have to act like enemies. Maybe we can at least start out by being friends, a-and then maybe one day if-"</p><p>She didn't really know where she'd been going with this anyway. Therefore, she didn't really mind when Diana suddenly cut her off.</p><p>But it wasn't with words.</p><p>This time, Diana silenced her with a new method.</p><p>It was very small, a tiny bump of her lips against Akko's cheek. It was both certain and uncertain, if that made any sense.</p><p>It only lasted for a second before Diana recoiled and turned herself away. But neither of them could conceal their bright red faces this time.</p><p>The kiss effectively silenced both girls for a long moment. They both just needed to take it all in, to try and make sense of everything.</p><p>It was like a small test, an experiment, to see if this was something they'd both like to pursue.</p><p>The rapid fluttering sensation inside Akko's chest was new to her, but certainly not unpleasant. Judging by the way Diana had lifted a hand to her chest, she was feeling it, too. It was refreshing and strange, sort of like casting a new spell for the first time.</p><p>But it was also incredibly exciting. It excited them into a state of silence.</p><p>They sat there awkwardly for a time, still surrounded by all of Diana's letters while a mixture of moonlight and the glow of the Stone lit up the tower around them. The white building itself was reflecting green and silver now.</p><p>For a long while, neither Akko nor Diana said a word. They just simply sat there, as though in a trance, as though that small kiss had cast a spell of its own.</p><p>Neither of them were opposed to this magic, though. It might take some time, but...</p><p>Eventually, the girls started to lose feeling in their legs. Without so much as mentioning the kiss or any of the warm, fuzzy feelings associated with it, Diana pushed herself to her feet and dusted off her robes. With a huff, she offered Akko her hand and pulled her up as well. Akko was still very much in her trance, and feeling Diana's warm hand on hers only served to spellbind her further.</p><p>"Dia...na..."</p><p>"Honestly, look at this mess," she huffed. "Would you at least help me clean it up?"</p><p>Akko shook herself and agreed right away.</p><p>"R-Right!"</p><p>The two of them picked up all of the fallen letters. Once they'd been folded neatly, Akko put them back into her pockets.</p><p>The initial awkwardness that had clogged the atmosphere just minutes earlier had begun to dissipate now as they moved around a bit. It was oddly satisfying, how they'd both spent so much time babbling away about one another, and about their own feelings, only to have it all silenced and summed up in a second.</p><p>They didn't need to talk about it anymore.</p><p>Both of them felt they could figure it out from here, even without words.</p><p>At least they were on the same page.</p><p>However, Diana did need to take a moment to get the remaining shred of her composure back. She leaned herself against the wall and stared out across the school, then closed her eyes.</p><p>She'd never thought that telling Akko how she felt would feel so... so cathartic.</p><p>She really hadn't even fully recognized her own feelings until Akko had confessed hers. It was a minor misfortune that came alongside neither of them ever having been in this kind of situation before. It had been messy, confusing, embarrassing, hurtful...</p><p>But now it just felt so... so <em>nice</em>...</p><p>But Diana didn't want to get lost in thought. There would be plenty of time for that later.</p><p>When she was finally ready, she turned back and cleared her throat.</p><p>"A-All right, I think it is about time we-"</p><p>She didn't finish. She spotted Akko sitting against the far wall with her legs stretched out, gazing wondrously up at the Stone.</p><p>"Ah, Diana! Come here for a sec! Just look at it! It's sparkling in the moonlight! It's so pretty!"</p><p>"Akko, we have classes tomorrow. We need to-"</p><p>"C'moooon, Diana!"</p><p>And Diana was far too tired to argue with her. So she merely heaved a sigh and relented.</p><p>She crossed the room and leaned her back against the wall, then slid down to curl her legs and sit beside Akko.</p><p>It didn't feel awkward anymore. It didn't feel stifling. In fact, Diana felt this was the easiest she'd ever breathed before in all her life.</p><p>They didn't have to talk about it. They could just <em>feel</em> it.</p><p>Diana turned her gaze upon the Stone. It really was a marvelous sight, especially so up close and especially with the moonlight streaming down over it.</p><p>The light was soft and enchanting, green wisps dancing around the room. It looked like the night sky, only the sky was green and the stars were silver.</p><p>She was so enraptured by the sight and the atmosphere and the warm feeling in her chest that Diana hardly noticed when Akko reached down to hold her hand.</p><p>The Stone continued to glow, until the moon shifted and the light stopped hitting it directly. The light in the tower faded back to its usual, softer green glow. Diana knew it was time to go now.</p><p>"Akko-"</p><p>She really shouldn't have been surprised to find the girl had fallen fast asleep. Akko was slumped against the wall with her mouth dangling open, snoring softly.</p><p>"Akko!"</p><p>Diana tugged at her hand in an effort to shake her, but the motion only resulted in Akko's slumping into her side, her head resting on Diana's shoulder. Her hat fluttered off and landed on the floor, allowing Akko to rest entirely against her now.</p><p>Diana stiffened. Her brain was telling her to be rational.</p><p>
  <em>You have classes tomorrow morning! You cannot possibly stay up here with her all night! What if someone sees? What if we're late to class and come in together?</em>
</p><p>But when she paused for a moment to simply breathe, she took into account that her heart was telling her something as well.</p><p>
  <em>After all that has happened today, and in the last few weeks... maybe it will be all right. Just this once...</em>
</p><p>In the end, that warm, fuzzy feeling, and Akko's childish sleeping face won her over.</p><p>Carefully, Diana released Akko's hand, just so she might reach into her own pocket. There was an extra sheet of paper she'd used to write her letters on.</p><p>On this, Diana wrote out two brief notes, trying not to move her arm too much as not to rouse Akko. She kept the notes short and simple.</p><p>One read: <em>Do not concern yourselves about Akko. Everything is fine. We shall see you in class tomorrow morning.</em></p><p>On this note, she wrote down Akko's dorm room number, then enchanted it with a spell. The paper floated up all on its own and headed off to reassure Akko's roommates.</p><p>The other note simply read: <em>Something came up. Do not worry. I will see you two in the morning.</em></p><p>This one, she sent back to her own room for Hannah and Barbara.</p><p>With all of the responsibilities now taken care of, there was only one thing left to do.</p><p>"How preposterous..."</p><p>Never before in all her life had she ever slept anywhere but on an actual mattress. She was already feeling aches in her bones as she leaned back against the cold, unforgiving wall.</p><p>But at least there was something much warmer and softer at her side.</p><p>Diana adjusted her hat, so that the rim blocked out the light of the Stone and would allow her to sleep if she could manage it. She shifted a little closer to Akko, then reached for her hand.</p><p>As far as Akko knew, <em>she'd</em> been the one to take <em>Diana's</em> hand. She'd never know that Diana had broken their grip, then decided to take it back of her own volition.</p><p>Diana pressed her palm against Akko's and slipped her fingers through hers. At last, she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to relax and just... breathe.</p><p>She stopped worrying. She stopped fretting. She stopped thinking.</p><p>Instead, she followed Akko's lead for once and just took it easy.</p><p>She'd never slept at the top of a cold tower with her back against the wall and a drooling classmate at her side before.</p><p>But she'd also never fallen asleep feeling quite so happy, either.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: When I mentioned the "smaller brooms" I was referencing the ones used in the first OVA, where the little attachment let Diana, Hannah, and Barbara slowly lower themselves down into the labyrinth to find the Dragon. We haven't seen them used that way since.</p><p>And I wrote all of this before the anime aired, so there are inaccuracies about where the students keep their brooms (there probably isn't really a Broom Room in the anime. They probably just keep brooms in their dorm rooms). But for the purpose of this fic and Akko's treasure hunt, I created that room and added in some other details, obviously.</p><p>I made up spells by rearranging certain relevant words pertaining to each spell/its intentions.</p><p>I hope you've enjoyed! Just a bit more to go!</p><p>Please leave comments or kudos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Epilogue. One Last Letter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just a quick epilogue to wrap things up! Enjoy!</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Little Witch Academia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Epilogue. One Last Letter</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>What woke Diana the next morning wasn't the buzzing of her alarm clock, nor the moaning and shifting about of Hannah and Barbara as they tossed and turned in their beds.</p><p>Diana was always the first one awake, and the same held true for now. But today, she woke from a bright beam of sunlight slanting beneath the rim of her hat and hitting her directly in the face.</p><p>Whimpering slightly, she turned her face away and was about to reach up a hand to shield her eyes, until she realized she couldn't <em>move</em> her hand.</p><p>And then she remembered.</p><p>She was at the top of the tower, with her back pressed against the wall, and her hand squeezing Akko's. She could still hear her snoring.</p><p>Diana's eyes flew open and she gasped, quickly releasing Akko's hand. Her motion was so sudden she ended up jerking away as well, which caused Akko to slump. With a moan, the brunette groggily wiped her eyes and sniffled.</p><p>"Wahh... geez, Sucy, why did you-" But when she opened her eyes fully and the memories came flooding back, she realized just who she was looking at. "Ah! Diana! That's right! Last night we-"</p><p>"There is no need to recount what happened," she snapped. "I was here and I am well-aware."</p><p>"Huh? So what's all this?"</p><p>Puzzled, Diana followed the girl's gaze.</p><p>Only now did they notice things were a bit different than they had been when they'd fallen asleep here last night.</p><p>There were... a few things that <em>hadn't</em> been here before.</p><p>To start off, a thick warm quilt had been laid out across the sleeping girls' laps, and even though they'd presently moved apart a bit, it was still covering their legs.</p><p>Next, was definitely the most noticeable of the alterations. A small, contained, and clearly enchanted fire burned at the center of the room, just beneath the Stone. Its warmth and glow provided comfort and had definitely kept the cold of last night from discomforting the two witches.</p><p>The third and final unfamiliar item was an envelope that Diana noticed had been tied beneath the ribbon of her own broom. She stared at it for a moment, utterly baffled.</p><p>But of course, this kind of thing was more exciting than it was unsettling to someone like Akko.</p><p>"Whoooa! Where did all this stuff come from? Did you do this, Diana? Aww that's so nice of you!"</p><p>"This was not my doing!" she quipped. "A letter's been left for us."</p><p>"A letter?" Akko was on her feet in a second, causing the quilt to fly up and land over Diana's hat. While the white-haired witch attempted to free herself, Akko hurried over to the broom and took out the envelope.</p><p>It wasn't addressed to anyone, but unlike Diana's envelopes that had been neatly tucked inside themselves to remain closed, this one had been sealed professionally with red wax.</p><p>Carefully, she slipped a nail under the crease and started to tear.</p><p>Diana finally managed to push the quilt off herself, and a moment later she was standing at Akko's shoulder.</p><p>"Should you really be opening that? All of this seems incredibly suspicious."</p><p>"Aww c'mon, Diana. Do you really think someone who left us a blanket and a fire to keep warm would leave us a scary letter?"</p><p>"There is no way to determine for sure whether or not the person who left us those items was the same person who left the envelope-"</p><p>But Akko ignored her paranoid rambling and proceeded to open the envelope. Diana cut herself off and stiffened, but when nothing bad happened, she opted to peer over Akko's shoulder to view the letter. It was very brief, and handwritten in cursive red ink:</p><p>
  <em>"Good morning, girls.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm so proud of you both for overcoming this! I saw everything, from start to finish, and I'm glad you've managed to mend things with one another.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was cold last night, so I left you a few supplies. Don't worry about the clean-up. They'll take care of themselves. The only thing you two should worry about is getting to class.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>P.S: Your secret is safe with me. Take care!"</em>
</p><p>It wasn't signed with a name. Rather, the only form of signature there at the end was in the shape of a small, four-pointed star.</p><p>Each of the girls read over the letter differently. Diana, on one hand, felt her face growing hotter and hotter as she began to realize what this meant.</p><p>"S...Someone saw us... s-someone <em>knows</em> about all of this..."</p><p>But on the other hand, Akko couldn't afford to be surprised or embarrassed. She was too fixated on that little star of a signature. Her eyes sparkled, and her jaw dropped as she marveled at it in disbelief.</p><p>"That's-! Oh my gosh! Diana, do you know what this means?!"</p><p>"It <em>means</em> that someone witnessed everything that happened between us, from the moment when things went awry in the hallway, to last night when we-"</p><p>"No no no no noooo! Not that! Look at the signature! Look, look!"</p><p>With a tone of enthusiasm that was far too loud and inappropriate for this time of morning, Akko all but shoved the letter into Diana's face while waving it around at the same time, therefore making it unreadable.</p><p>"Would you calm down?" Diana snapped. She grabbed the letter to steady it and looked the symbol over again. "You've lost me. What is so important about the stamp? It hasn't been signed. Someone's been observing us from afar-"</p><p>"It's <em>Chariot!</em>"</p><p>Akko's high-pitched declaration of triumph echoed around the entire tower, and roused some of the crows that had been sleeping on the roof. Diana was torn between trying to shush her or trying to make sense of her. She settled for slapping a hand to her own forehead and heaving yet another sigh.</p><p>"Do you hear yourself? There is no way that clown of a witch-"</p><p>"It <em>is</em> Chariot!" Akko emphasized. "That's her symbol! It's gotta be her! Oh, wow! Shiny Chariot has been watching over me, and she saw everything! She knows I'll never stop studying to become an amazing witch like her!"</p><p>Akko clutched the letter to her chest and twirled around the room, dancing and skipping as she giggled and sang to herself. "Oooouh~ eheheheh! Wow! It's like I have Chariot's autograph!"</p><p>Diana was at a loss in all of this.</p><p>At first, she hadn't believed Akko when she'd said Shiny Chariot had written that note. She'd just assumed that was Akko being Akko, attributing everything back to her number one idol in some way, somehow.</p><p>But Diana had seen the signature for herself. And she knew Akko was right. She, too, recognized that star. It really <em>had</em> been Chariot who had written that letter to them.</p><p>Of course, Diana could never admit this out loud. But on the inside, her heart was fluttering to know that Chariot had witnessed everything that had transpired between Akko and herself all this time.</p><p>Secretly, she was just as bewildered and joyous as Akko was. But again, she couldn't ever show as much on the outside.</p><p>As Akko continued skipping and twirling around the tower, Diana did her best to compose herself and smooth out her clothes. Too many ridiculous things had happened last night, and even more were being revealed now. She felt like she needed to go back to bed and sleep for another day. But she couldn't, otherwise she'd miss class-</p><p>"Oh my goodness!" She gasped so loudly and so suddenly right then it had Akko freezing dead in her tracks.</p><p>"W-What is it, Diana?"</p><p>"Class! We are going to be late for class!"</p><p>"Eh...? Uwaaaah! Ohmygosh! It's Monday!"</p><p>"That is <em>precisely</em> what I am saying! We need to depart immediately!"</p><p>Diana hurried to the wall to grab her broom and cast the spell right away. Akko frantically stuffed Chariot's letter into her pockets securely with all of Diana's. But she instantly remembered she didn't have a broom.</p><p>"Uh, D-Diana?"</p><p>"What is it? We do not have time for-"</p><p>"I don't have a broom."</p><p>Diana slapped her forehead again.</p><p>"Very well! Just get on! Quickly!"</p><p>She mounted her broom and motioned for Akko to join her. The brunette scampered across the tower and sat down behind her classmate. She'd barely wrapped her hands around Diana's stomach before they were already taking off.</p><p>"W-Whoooa! H-Hold on!"</p><p>"We do not have time for that!"</p><p>As Diana took off through the skies at breakneck speed, Akko was left wailing and clinging tightly to her back, considering it a blessing she hadn't eaten breakfast yet.</p><p>They left the tower and all of their troubles behind.</p><p>Even though their idol and most-admired person had been watching over them, no one else knew what had happened between Akko and Diana.</p><p>They still had some things to figure out. But they could work through those things together at a later time.</p><p>For now, they made a beeline for the school building.</p><p>And somewhere along the lines, the shrieks and yelps that had been filling the air became the sounds of merry laughter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>Professor Ursula kept an eye on the two girls from the confines of her own bedroom. Luckily, her quarters were up high enough where she could see the tower for herself, without having to use a crystal ball.</p><p>Presently, she couldn't help but smile as she watched the two of them shoot off on the handle of a broom together.</p><p>She waved her hand and cast a small spell that reached far out to the tower, and instantly cleaned away the blanket and small flame that had been left behind, erasing all physical evidence of what had occurred there last night.</p><p>"They'll have the memories for themselves," she murmured.</p><p>She was more than content to sigh dreamily at the prospect of what it was to be young and adventurous and in love again. But a squawk from the other side of the room caused her to turn around.</p><p>"Alcor? What's-? Oh my! I'm going to be late for class, as well!"</p><p>And with that, the professor grabbed her own broom and hurried on her way to teach her class.</p><p>And even though they did hurry in as the bell was ringing, she didn't mark Akko or Diana tardy that morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Overall, I thought this was a really cute idea~ I'm not super adamant about Akko and Diana being romantic, but it definitely works and I'd definitely get behind it. Even though it kind of implies Chariot would have to be someone at the school in order to have seen all of this happen, Akko doesn't see it that way, necessarily. She just believes Chariot can see her/watch over her with her magics or something.</p><p>Please leave comments or kudos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>